CLEVELAND, Ohio — Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations is in charge of investigating cases of sign stealing, domestic violence, sexual assault, drug use, international signing violations, sexual harassment, and sports betting.

The department is currently investigating gambling allegations against Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase. Here’s a look at how the department is running the investigation.

How did this happen to Ortiz?

On July 3, MLB placed Ortiz on a non-disciplinary leave of absence while it looked into gambling charges against him.

MLB has working relationships with legal sportsbooks and integrity betting firms. The integrity betting firm IC360 alerted 40 sportsbooks about irregular betting patterns on two pitches Ortiz threw, one on June 15 and the other on June 27.

Ortiz, according to sources, is being investigated for influencing prop bets or micro-bets while he was on the mound. Prop bets are specific bets on single events in a game. They do not necessarily include who wins or loses the game.

In the June 15 and June 27 games, there was unusual activity on Ortiz throwing a ball or hitting a batter on his first pitch in an inning. He threw balls in each case.

MLB’s original investigation into Ortiz was scheduled to end on July 17. On July 17, it was extended until Aug. 31.

How did Clase get involved?

It’s believed that MLB’s investigation into Ortiz led it to investigate Clase. MLB on Monday placed Clase on a non-disciplinary leave of absence through Aug. 31.

Clase is a three-time All-Star and has been the dominant closer in the American League for the last four years.

As is the case with Ortiz, it’s believed Clase is being investigated for influencing prop bets.

Who else is involved?

MLB and the Guardians have both said that no other Guardians players or employees are expected to be impacted by the investigation. It’s not a 100% guarantee that MLB will not tap another Guardians employee on the shoulder, but it’s as close as it can get as the investigation continues.

When the investigation began, sources told cleveland.com that Ortiz was the only member of Cleveland’s organization involved.

Innocent until proven otherwise

Ortiz and Clase are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. That’s why they were put on a non-disciplinary leave of absence.

During this period, they will be paid their salary and receive service time.

It should also be pointed out that MLB is not in the habit of taking players off the field from teams trying to gather themselves for the stretch run unless they have cause.

Should Ortiz and Clase face disciplinary action, they can file a grievance and go to arbitration, a right afforded to them by MLB’s basic agreement with the players.

Evidence aplenty

Legalized gambling and its relationship with professional sports has not been a smooth partnership. But it has made it a lot easier for professional leagues to monitor themselves because of the amount of evidence provided by legal sportsbooks.

Irregular activity is easier to track if a violation has occurred and discipline is warranted. That was much harder to do before the Supreme Court made gambling legal in 2018.

Who can MLB investigators interview?

All players and workers employed by MLB must comply with MLB investigators. They can refuse to answer, but they must comply.

Anyone not employed by MLB does not have to consent to being interviewed. Most MLB investigators are former law enforcement officers.

There’s a lot at stake

MLB Rule 21 deals with disciplinary action against anyone who violates league rules. Where it comes to betting, here are the basics:

If you are found guilty of gambling in a game in which you had a “duty to perform,” you will face a lifetime ban.To put it another way, if you’re on the Guardians and you’re playing the Tigers, and you bet on the Guardians, you’re banned for life even if you didn’t play in the game.But if you’re on the Guardians and you bet on a game between the Marlins and Angels, and you have no part in that game, you could be banned for a year.Last year MLB banned Padres utility man Tucupita Marcano for life for betting on games. They suspended four other players for a year each for breaking sports betting rules.

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