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The top two teams in the American League East begin a key three-game series when the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees collide at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Blue Jays (58-41) lead the division by three games over the Yankees (55-44). The Red Sox and Rays are five and 6.5 games back, respectively.

When Toronto and New York met earlier this month at the Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays swept a four-game series to overtake the Yankees for the AL East lead. Toronto outscored New York 36-23 in the series and scored double-digit runs twice in the four games.

Monday's pitching matchup features Blue Jays righty Kevin Gausman (6-7, 4.19 ERA) and Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon (10-6, 3.08). Gausman has faced the Bombers twice already this season with mixed results. In his first start, back in April, he gave up six runs in 2⅔ innings in an 11-2 loss. Then on Canada Day he limited New York to two runs in 5 innings in a 12-5 victory. Meanwhile, Rodon has faced Toronto only once this season, giving up two runs on five hits in 5 innings in a 5-4 loss on June 30.

The Blue Jays have come out of the All-Star break on a roll, sweeping a three-game series against the Giants. Toronto outscored San Francisco 18-9 across those three games. The Yankees lost their first game out of the break to the Braves but won the last two games of the series, 12-9 and 4-2. 

While the Toronto-New York matchup is the marquee attraction on the sporting landscape on Monday, there are other options on a 15-game MLB slate. 

Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, July 21. All times Eastern.

MLB best bets, where to watch

Royals at Cubs

Time: 8:05 p.m. | Location: Chicago | TV: MLB Network

SportsLine picks -- Model: Cubs money line -144

The Chicago Cubs will try to stay in first place in the National League Central when they host the Kansas City Royals at Wrigley Field. The Cubs (59-40) enter Monday in a tie with the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, who have won 10 in a row, atop the division. Chicago is coming off a series win against the Boston Red Sox but dropped the series finale, 6-1, on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Royals (58-42) sit in fourth place in the AL Central, 12 games behind the Tigers. On Monday, Cubs righty Ryan Brasier (0-0, 1.04) takes on Kansas City lefty Noah Cameron (3-4, 2.31). The SportsLine Projection model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, says Chicago has a 65.0% chance to win, which is substantially different from the consensus odds implied probability of 59.0%, and gives a B grade to Cubs money line (-144).

Athletics at Rangers

Time: 8:05 p.m. | Location: Arlington, Texas | TV: MLBN

SportsLine picks -- Model: Rangers money line -125 | Expert: Over 8.5 total runs -110 (Bruce Marshall)

Two AL West rivals face off when the Texas Rangers host the Athletics at Globe Life Field. The Rangers (50-50) sit in third place in the division, 7.5 games behind the AL West-leading Astros, but have won six of their last nine games. Texas is coming off a series win over the Tigers, the team with the best record in baseball. Meanwhile, the A's (42-59) sit at the bottom of the division and have the second-worst record in the AL. Monday's pitching matchup features Rangers righty Jack Leiter (5-6, 4.37) against A's lefty Jacob Lopez (3-5, 4.20). The SportsLine Projection Model says Texas wins 60.0% of the time, which is substantially greater than the consensus odds implied probability of 55.6%, and gives a B grade to Rangers money line (-125). Marshall, who is 55-45-1 (+1561) in his last 101 MLB picks, notes that "Jack Leiter is at the back of the Rangers rotation for a reason, as he owns a 5.96 ERA across his last six starts, while the A's offense remains capable of bunching many runs, scoring nearly 6 per game across the past nine games."

 More MLB best bets

Looking ahead: Fever at Liberty

Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: ESPN

The WNBA All-Star Break ends on Tuesday, July 22, and there are five games tipping off tomorrow. The lone clash between teams with winning records is the Indiana Fever (12-11) visiting the New York Liberty (15-6). Fever coach Stephanie White has already said that Caitlin Clark is not expected to play, as she's still recovering from a groin injury that sidelined her from WNBA All-Star festivities. The Fever and Liberty also played at Barclay's Center in their final games before the All-Star Break, with New York rolling to a 98-77 win.