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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball after a betting-integrity firm flagged a pair of pitches that had received unusual gambling activity, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Sources said betting-integrity firm IC360 sent an alert in June to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz, whom MLB has placed on "non-disciplinary paid leave" through July 17. The alert, according to sources who reviewed it, referenced action on Ortiz's first pitches in select innings to be a ball or a hit batsman in two games: June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In both the bottom of the second inning against the Mariners and the top of the third inning against the Cardinals, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone. The alert on Ortiz's first pitches flagged bets in Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Betting on the result of first pitches is offered by some sportsbooks, with such wagers commonly referred to as microbets. Ortiz's paid leave, which ends at the conclusion of the All-Star break, was negotiated between the league and the MLB Players Association. If the investigation remains open, the leave could be extended. Ortiz had been scheduled to start Thursday night's game against the Chicago Cubs. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, said before Thursday's game 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. "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." Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the team about Ortiz's situation and tried to answer questions the best they could. "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 investigation into Ortiz's potential violation of the league's gambling policy comes a little more than a year after MLB levied a lifetime ban against San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for placing nearly 400 bets on baseball. Four other players received one-year suspensions for gambling on baseball while in the minor leagues. In February, MLB fired umpire Pat Hoberg -- widely recognized as the best ball-strike arbiter in the game -- for "sharing" a legal sports betting account with a friend who bet on baseball and later deleting messages key to the investigation. A 26-year-old starting pitcher, Ortiz was acquired by Cleveland from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the winter as part of the three-team trade in which the Guardians sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays. With a 4-9 record and 4.36 ERA, Ortiz has been a staple in a Guardians rotation whose 4.13 ERA ranks 18th in MLB. Ortiz's leave comes amid a slide for the Guardians, who have lost six consecutive games to drop to 40-44. While Cleveland remains in second place in the American League Central, it trails first-place Detroit by 12½ games. Ortiz signed with the Pirates in 2018 at 19 years old, far later than the typical prospect, and didn't reach full-season ball until 2021. He quickly shot through the Pittsburgh organization and debuted in 2022, eventually throwing 238⅓ innings and posting a 3.93 ERA in his three seasons with the Pirates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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