Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been positioned on paid depart as Main League Baseball investigates him for doable playing violations, the group confirmed Thursday.
Ortiz was initially set to begin in opposition to the Chicago Cubs, however Joey Cantillo stepped in following the sudden information. The depart, in response to the Guardians, comes underneath an settlement with the MLB Gamers Affiliation and is tied to an “ongoing league investigation.”
Based on ESPN, a betting-integrity agency flagged two pitches thrown by Ortiz, one on June fifteenth and one other on June twenty seventh. The primary concerned a wild throw to Randy Arozarena that wasn’t close to the strike zone, reportedly triggering an alert after bets have been positioned on the pitch being both a ball or hit batsman. The second pitch, in a unique sport, concerned related betting exercise and an errant throw.
Whereas gamers can legally gamble on sports activities, MLB prohibits any betting on baseball or softball. The league has beforehand come down arduous on such violations: Tucupita Marcano obtained a lifetime ban for betting on video games involving his group, and 4 others, Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez, and Andrew Saalfrank, have been every suspended for one yr after betting on video games they didn’t play in.
The Guardians acknowledged they’re “not permitted to remark additional presently, and can respect the league’s confidential investigative course of.”
Ortiz, 26, at present holds a 4-9 document with a 4.36 ERA throughout 88 ⅔ innings. The Guardians sit 40-44 and stay inside attain of a wild-card spot, simply 4 video games again.
Uncover extra from Baller Alert
Subscribe to get the most recent posts despatched to your electronic mail.