Steven Matz of the Mets was eliminated from the match in the first round against the Phillies

Our first work order Monday morning was whether Jacob deGrom is the tilting of the grounds. In each of his last two starts, the opposing strikers seemed strangely comfortable – and since DeGrom is the best baseball pitcher, it activates our natural curiosity.

During the national television broadcast during Sunday night's loss in Atlanta, analyst Alex Rodriguez seemed to imply that DeGrom was going to rock, while he said Josh DonaldsonThe fifth inning at home was "almost like he knew what was coming – a fast 2-29 (out) velocity of 2-2 is far too good for a guy like DeGrom."

By questioning several experienced raters on Monday, none of them suggested a tilt, although A-Rod, along with Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre, Alex Cora and Shawn Green, was among the best of his generation to detect him. It's possible that he noticed something that escaped the scouts, even the Braves.

But other than that, tips do not seem to be the problem.

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