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Two All-Star pitchers from the National League will square off when Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers face Freddy Peralta and the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of a three-game series on Monday at American Family Field in Milwaukee (7:40 p.m. ET first pitch).

Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51 ERA) has been lights-out recently. Over his last two games, the 26-year-old from Japan has given up just one earned run on four hits while striking out 14 and walking just two across 12 innings. The Dodgers have won both of his last two starts. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Peralta (9-4, 2.91) has also been effective lately. He has won each of his last four starts and has not lost a decision since June 3.

Los Angeles enters the series reeling. Last weekend the Dodgers were swept in a three-game series by the Astros, losing the three games by a combined score of 29-6. That included an 18-1 blowout on Friday, the franchise's biggest margin of defeat in the history of Dodger Stadium. However, Los Angeles (56-35) still owns the best record in the NL and leads the NL West by seven games over the Giants and Padres.

The Brewers, however, are coming off a series win at the Marlins. On Sunday, Milwaukee won the rubber game in the three-game series, 3-1. The Brewers (50-40) sit in second place in the NL Central, just four games behind the division-leading Cubs.

While the Yamamoto-Peralta matchup is the marquee pitching clash on the sporting landscape on Monday, other options include a 10-game MLB slate and a two-game WNBA card. 

Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet on for Monday, July 7. All times Eastern

⚾ MLB best bets, where to watch

Rays at Tigers

Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: FS1

SportsLine picks -- Model: Tigers +104 | Expert: Shane Baz Over 5.5 total pitcher strikeouts +112 (Larry Hartstein)

Two of the best teams in the American League collide when the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays begin a three-game series on Monday at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Tigers (57-34) own the best record in the majors and are coming off a three-game sweep of the slumping Guardians. Meanwhile, the Rays (49-41) are tied for second in the AL East, three games behind the Jays. Shane Baz (8-3, 4.33) is set to take the mound for Tampa Bay. SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein notes that Baz has 20 strikeouts combined over his last two starts and has at least six strikeouts in four straight starts. "As great as the Tigers are, they strike out at the 10th-highest rate in MLB," Hartstein says.

The SportsLine Projection Model is leaning toward Detroit on the money line (+104), giving the play a B rating. The model's simulations say the Tigers have a 52.0% chance to win, which is greater than the consensus odds implied probability of 49.0%.

Diamondbacks at Padres

Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLBN

SportsLine picks -- Model: Diamondbacks +105 | Expert: Ketel Marte To Hit a Home Run +450 (Jake Fetner)

San Diego's Yu Darvish makes his season debut when he takes the ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at Petco Park in San Diego. The 38-year-old righty from Japan has missed the first three-plus months of the season with right elbow inflammation. He is coming off a season in which he went 7-3 and pitched just 81⅔ innings, his fewest since the 2020 season. Last year he faced the Diamondbacks once, giving up three runs in 5⅓ innings in a 5-3 San Diego victory. SportsLine expert Jake Fetner notes that Marte is 11-of-38 with two home runs in his career against Darvish. Also, "[Marte is] back on the road, where he's slashing a ridiculous .336/.421/.709 with 11 home runs in just 30 games," Fetner says.

The SportsLine Projection Model is leaning toward the underdog Diamondbacks on the money line (+105), giving the play a B rating. The model's simulations say Arizona wins 49.0% of the time.

Phillies at Giants

Time: 9:45 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: MLBN

SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7.5 runs | Expert: Kyle Schwarber To Hit a Home Run +420 (Jake Fetner)

Philadelphia begins a six-game West Coast road trip when the club faces the San Francisco Giants on Monday at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Phillies (53-37) lead the NL East by 1½ games over the Mets and are coming off a series victory over the Reds. On Sunday, Philadelphia won the rubber game of the three-game series against Cincinnati, 3-1. On Monday the Phillies will send lefty Cristopher Sánchez (7-2, 2.68) to the mound. He has been lights-out recently, giving up two runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts. He will go up against Giants righty Landen Roupp (6-5, 3.48).

The SportsLine Projection Model's best play is Over 7.5 runs; the teams average 8.3 runs in the model's 10,000 simulations. Meanwhile, Fetner is all over Schwarber going yard. Schwarber has 27 home runs in 90 games this season. "Landen Roupp doesn't allow many home runs, but anytime you can get Kyle Schwarber at this price, our model sees value," Fetner says.

 More MLB best bets

🏀 WNBA best bets, where to watch

Valkyries at Dream

Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Atlanta | TV: None

SportsLine expert pick: First half Under 77.5 points -108 (Max Meyer)

Two teams battling to stay in playoff contention will square off when the Atlanta Dream host the Golden State Valkyries on Monday at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. The Dream (11-7) sit in fifth place in the WNBA standings, just ahead of the sixth-place Valkyries (9-8). But just three games separate Atlanta from the ninth-place Washington Mystics. Only the top eight teams make the WNBA playoffs. 

Meyer likes the teams to go Under 77.5 points in the first half. The Valkyries own the league's second-best defensive rating (97.8 points per 100 possessions), behind only the league-leading Lynx (94.1). In addition, Meyer notes that "in first halves, the Dream average 39.9 points (10th), allow 37.8 points (lowest in WNBA) and play at the slowest pace in the entire league."

Wings at Mercury

Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Phoenix | TV: None

SportsLine expert pick: Aziaha James Over 13.5 points -110 (Max Meyer)

This is the second game of a home-and-home series between the Dallas Wings (6-13) and Phoenix Mercury (12-6). Dallas won the first game, 98-89, in Texas on Thursday, getting a career-high 28 points from Aziaha James and 23 from Paige Bueckers. Meyer likes James to have another good scoring night. He notes that she took a game-high 20 shots on Thursday with teammates Arike Ogunbowale (16.8 points per game) and Dijonai Carrington (11.8) out, and those two will be unavailable again on Monday. "You can certainly argue that I'm buying high after that performance, but James has scored at least 14 points in three consecutive games and has put up double-digit scoring performances in six straight," Meyer says.