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The headline series of the weekend showcases two of the best records and some of the best starting pitching in both leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers and the Toronto Blue Jays play a three-game set in Canada that started with last night’s Freddy Peralta–Shane Bieber matchup. Quinn Priester and Kevin Gausman throw today, and Brandon Woodruff faces off with Max Scherzer in the Sunday finale. That’s October-level headliners at the end of August.
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Today’s Headlines
Tolle Debuts Opposite Skenes
Payton Tolle threw 5.1 innings on 84 pitches in his Boston Red Sox debut, striking out more hitters than Paul Skenes (eight to six) and giving up fewer hits than his opposition (three to seven). Skenes allowed a Roman Anthony homer while Tolle kept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the park. But the NL Cy Young contender lasted six innings to Tolle’s 5.1, allowed just a single run, and evened his record at 9-9 after the Pirates held on for a 4-2 win. The Fenway Greens couldn’t bring another walk-off even though Nick Sogard walked in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate. The Red Sox slipped from second to third place in the AL East.
Crew Controls Toronto
The Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays cruised along side each other for five innings, and then the Brewers hit the gas with a five-run sixth. Starters Peralta (six innings, eight strikeouts, zero runs) and Bieber (5.1 innings, six strikeouts, two runs) kept it close until Milwaukee made some magic. Nine-hole hitter Andruw Monasterio broke open the scoring with a home run. Andrew Vaughn singled in a run four batters later. Two-out production from Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins made it 5-0, and the Brewers added another win to their league-leading record with a 7-2 victory.
Guardians Plate 2 to Beat M’s
The Cleveland Guardians spotted the Seattle Mariners a 4-0 first-inning lead, waited half the game to start chipping away at the deficit, and snuck away with a 5-4 walk-off win after a couple of close plays at the plate in the ninth. Brayan Rocchio cued a ball into the pocket between third, short, and left, and Nolan Jones challenged Randy Arozarena’s arm. The throw beat him home but missed Cal Raleigh’s glove, allowing the tying run to score and the winning run to reach third. Steven Kwan lofted a fly ball to center, and Julio Rodríguez’s throw home was up the third base line. Rocchio slid past Raleigh to win it 5-4. Seattle lost ground in the AL West after the Houston Astros blanked the Los Angeles Angels 2-0.
Gotham Batsmen Light It Up
The New York Yankees and New York Mets each reached double digits against non-contending foes. The Bronx Bombers got a grand slam from Trent Grisham and a two-run homer from Anthony Volpe on their way to a 10-2 blowout of the Chicago White Sox. Carlos Rodón got his 15th win after pitching six innings. The victory pulled the Yankees into second place in the AL East, a half-game up on the Red Sox.
Their counterparts in Queens gave up nine runs to the Miami Marlins, but scored 19. The Mets’ outburst also involved more than a pair of home runs. Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo went yard in the first to establish a 5-0 lead. Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos also homered, and Nimmo added a second blast. The run support made Jonah Tong’s debut a comfortable one: five innings, six hits, no walks, six strikeouts, and four runs allowed, but just one earned.
Vintage Gallen
Zac Gallen got his 10th win with six shutout innings and eight strikeouts against the champs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks got a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blake Snell struck out eight in 5.1 innings and took the loss because the Dodgers couldn’t break through against Gallen or the D-backs bullpen in a 3-0 win. The San Diego Padres lost 7-4 to the Minnesota Twins, so the Dodgers maintained their two-game lead in the NL West.
Best Moments From Yesterday
20/20 Vision
Byron Buxton got to 20/20 for the first time in his career with this steal of third, the first of his career. The Twins centerfielder played 140 games in 2017, hit 16 home runs, and stole 29 bases. He topped 90 games played just once in the next six seasons. After 18 homers and seven steals last year, Buxton has 27/20 in 2025.
Here it is, in all its glory.
With this steal, Byron Buxton has the seventh 20/20 season in #MNTwins history. And he's a perfect 20-for-20 stealing bases this season.pic.twitter.com/wFsNPzAIEJ https://t.co/t7XcooIyrQ
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 30, 2025
Eldridge Blast
San Francisco Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge sent this ball crackling 470 feet out of the stadium in Reno.
Tongs
You can’t just have one Tong. The Mets will give their rookie a second start.
Jonah Tong was asked for his reaction to Carlos Mendoza saying he would get another start with the Mets:
"Sweet!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/5C8X9W5ALn
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 30, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ The Boston Red Sox released left-hander Walker Buehler to make room for Tolle before his Friday night debut. They also optioned Jhostnyxon Garcia to Triple-A and recalled infielder/outfielder Sogard. Buehler’s release was outright rather than being designated for assignment.
⚾ The St. Louis Cardinals called up catcher Jimmy Crooks III, their No.6 prospect, and infielder César Prieto from Triple-A. Catcher Yohel Pozo went on the seven-day concussion IL, and first baseman Alec Burleson went on the 10-day IL with right wrist pain.
⚾ Luis L. Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase will miss the rest of the 2025 season while remaining on the restricted list and administrative leave while undergoing investigation for involvement in gambling.
⚾ The Pirates placed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on outright waivers when he’s 81 plate appearances from a $250,000 bonus. They also designated left-hander Andrew Heaney for assignment. Heaney earned a $50,000 bonus for 120 innings, and the organization elected to give further opportunities to younger pitchers.
⚾ The Padres placed shortstop Xander Bogaerts on the 10-day IL with a non-displaced left foot fracture. They called up infielder Mason McCoy from Triple-A.
⚾ Nick Kurtz left the Athletics‘ lineup in the fourth inning with right oblique soreness.
Articles You Should Read
The Bookie at the Center of the Ohtani Betting Scandal is Ready to Talk — David Amsden, Rolling Stone
How Much Candy is in a Major League Dugout? — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs
Unless the Reds Do Something Wild, the NL Playoff Race is Over — Michael Baumann, FanGraphs
‘G is so unique’: What it looks like — and feels like — when Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is locked in — Julian McWilliams, CBS Sports
What Royals’ ballpark drama can teach us about MLB’s future — Bradford Doolittle, ESPN.com
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