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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians' Luis Ortiz reportedly the subject of MLB gambling investigation, placed on leave
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation. Advertisement The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB. ESPN reported the firm IC360 recently also sent an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz. The Athletic was the first to report that Ortiz's suspension was related to gambling. MLB said Ortiz's paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing. Advertisement Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night's game at the Chicago Cubs that the team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can't enter any of the Guardians' facilities. Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday night. Ortiz was slated to be the starting pitcher for Thursday night's series finale. Instead, left-hander Joey Cantillo was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season. 'We learned very little last night, but knew we needed to get someone here today to start today's game, and that really was our focus,' Antonetti said. "A lot has come out today, and that's far more information than we have. 'Our focus is we'll let the investigative process play out. To the extent Major League Baseball or anyone needs our support in that, we will obviously cooperate. But beyond that, there's really not much we can do.' Advertisement Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the team about Ortiz's situation and tried to answer questions the best they could. It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1. 'Honestly, when I got the news yesterday I didn't know how to feel,' Vogt said. 'There's so much unknowns with this, but you know what? Every team goes through adversity, maybe different kinds, but this is a resilient group. I've been through situations similar to this before in my career as a player, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I want the manager to have reacted, and that's what I'm trying to do.' The 26-year old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. The nine losses are tied for the most in the American League. Advertisement In four big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save. The investigation into Ortiz comes a little more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023. Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers - San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez - received one-year suspensions. Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league's investigation.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians' Luis Ortiz Under Investigation in Potential Betting Scandal
Guardians' Luis Ortiz Under Investigation in Potential Betting Scandal originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While the Cleveland Guardians continue to slump, riding on a six-game losing streak entering Wednesday, they will be without starting pitcher Luis Ortiz after his name emerged as a suspect in an MLB betting scandal. Advertisement Ortiz is under investigation by the MLB after a betting-integrity firm flagged multiple scenarios of the starter's pitches receiving unusual betting activity. Gambling firm IC360 sent multiple alerts in June to sportsbooks that involved Luis Ortiz's first pitches of specific innings. The first instance took place in his start against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 in the bottom of the second inning, where Ortiz opened the inning with a slider that was an obvious ball. Another alert took place on June 27, happening in Ortiz's first pitch of the top of the third inning in his start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He through another slider that was even further out of the zone. Advertisement Ortiz was pulled from his scheduled start on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs and will be placed on "non-disciplinary leave" through the All-Star break. The leave could be extended if the investigation remains open. Cleveland made a statement on the situation on Thursday. "The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation," the team said. "The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process." Advertisement Luis Ortiz has the second-most innings pitched for the Guardians this season with 88.2. Through 16 starts, he has a 4-9 record, 4.36 ERA, and 1.38 WHIP while striking out 96 batters. Cleveland will now have left-handed relief pitcher Joey Castillo step in for Ortiz in Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs. while the Guardians try to stay relevant in the AL Wild Card race. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Guardians starter Luis Ortiz's suspicious wild pitches at heart of MLB gambling investigation
Cleveland Guardians starter Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave hours before he was scheduled to take the mound against the Chicago Cubs Thursday, MLB announced. While MLB didn't disclose the nature of its investigation, ESPN reported it was related to gambling. Two pitches thrown by Ortiz during a start are being scrutinized. In June, betting integrity firm IC360 relayed the two pitches to sportsbooks, according to ESPN, and the first was on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners. The firm flagged unusual betting action on the first pitch thrown by Ortiz in the bottom of the second inning to be a ball or hit batsman. Ortiz spiked a slider into the ground far away from the strike zone. Then, on June 27, more unusual betting action came in on a pitch from Ortiz in the top of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Once again, the bets were on a ball or a hit batsman, and Ortiz proceeded to spike another pitch the catcher couldn't handle. While instances like this happen to even the best of pitchers, the league is looking into the situation. The bets came in from Ohio, New York and New Jersey, according to ESPN. The non-disciplinary leave for Ortiz is scheduled to run through the MLB All-Star break, with games resuming for the second half July 18. The Guardians released a statement on the matter after MLB's announcement. "The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. "The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process." Ortiz has pitched 16 times for the Guardians this season, recording a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
