CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Major League Baseball, in agreement with the MLB Players Association, will extend Guardians\u2019 Luis Ortiz\u2019s leave of absence, while continuing its investigation into gambling allegations involving Ortiz.<\/p>\n
On July 3, MLB announced that Ortiz in agreement with the MLB Players Association was being placed on a non-disciplinary leave of absence through the All-Star break while it investigated him. <\/p>\n
It was later confirmed by league sources that Ortiz was being investigated for possible involvement in gambling while he was pitching for the Guardians.<\/p>\n
The investigation was set to run through Friday, the end of the All-Star break. <\/p>\n
The information on Ortiz, according to league sources and ESPN, came from legal bookmakers who were informed by IC360, a betting-integrity firm, about unusual activity among bettors making \u201cprop bets\u201d or \u201cmicro bets\u201d on two pitches, both sliders, that Ortiz threw in June.<\/p>\n
The first slider was on June 15 to Seattle\u2019s Randy Arozarena to start the second inning. It was a ball in the dirt that led to a walk and a five-run inning.<\/p>\n
The second slider was on June 27 against St. Louis. Ortiz started the third inning against Pedro Pages with a slider in the dirt that bounced all the way to the backstop. Pages hit a home run later in the at-bat as the Cardinals scored three runs in the inning.<\/p>\n
The unusual betting activity included whether Ortiz\u2019s first pitches in those innings would result in a ball or hit batsman<\/p>\n
For those unfamiliar with gambling terminology, a prop bet, short for proposition bet, is a wager placed on a specific event or outcome within a game, but it\u2019s not directly tied to the final score or the overall result.<\/p>\n
It can be based on an individual player\u2019s performance. For instance, how many strikeouts will a pitcher record in one game? Will it be over or under eight?<\/p>\n
MLB is investigating Ortiz to see if he influenced prop bets while he was pitching.<\/p>\n
Last year MLB suspended five players for gambling-related violations. San Diego\u2019s Tucupita Marcano was banned for life, while Oakland\u2019s Michael Kelly and minor leaguers Jay Groome, Jose Rodriguez and Andrew Saalfrank were suspended for a year.<\/p>\n
Kelly, who is back in the big leagues this year with Oakland, pitched for Cleveland in 2023.<\/p>\n
The Guardians acquired Ortiz in a deal with Pittsburgh at the winter meetings in December. He is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season.<\/p>\n
Left-hander Joey Cantillo has taken Ortiz\u2019s spot in the rotation. He opened the year in the bullpen with the Guardians but was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to get stretched out as a starter.<\/p>\n
MLB\u2019s basic agreement contains several rules prohibiting gambling. Here are some of the key ones:<\/p>\n
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