Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was placed on paid leave earlier this month while Major League Baseball investigated potential gambling-related misdeeds, has had that leave extended until Aug. 31, the team announced Friday. Said extension stems from an agreement between MLB’s league office and the MLB Players Association.
“We have been informed of the extension and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation,” the Guardians said in a team-issued release.
The investigation stems from a betting-integrity firm flagging two of Ortiz’s pitches that coincided with increased bets on a particular outcome. One, on June 15, was this pitch that was called a ball against Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena. The other was this pitch, from June 27.
Ortiz, 26, compiled a 4.36 ERA (95 ERA+) and a 2.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 88 ⅔ innings prior to being deactivated. He was obtained over the offseason as part of a three-team trade that also included the Pittsburgh Pirates (his former team) and the Toronto Blue Jays.
While MLB’s rules allow players to wager on sports provided it’s legal in their area, there are exceptions made for “diamond” sports (e.g. baseball and softball). Last summer, infielder Tucupita Marcano was handed a lifetime ban and four others — Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez, and Andrew Saalfrank — were banished for a year after it was found they gambled on baseball games not involving their teams.
The Guardians enter the second half of the schedule with a 46-49 record, which puts them 12 games back in the American League Central and 4 ½ games out of the third and final wild card spot. Cleveland will open up the second half with a series at home against the lowly Athletics.
Add Comment