The Cleveland Guardians were dealt a blow last week, as Luis Ortiz was placed on paid leave by MLB, which is investigating his role in a potential gambling scandal. Ortiz had a 4.36 ERA on the season for the Guardians, and leaves them without a valued member of their pitching staff. However, the larger concern is for the league as a whole as it combats gambling at its players' very fingertips.
The investigation into Ortiz is actually the first of its kind. While numerous players in American professional sports have been punished for gambling on games they did not partake in – or for results they had no impact on – the allegations against Ortiz are far more serious.
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How Luis Ortiz's gambling allegations compare to other MLB investigations
The most recent and prevalent MLB investigation into gambling involved former Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. Marcano was suspended for life after he gambled on his own team, even though they involved games he did not appear in. MLB's zero-tolerance policy for gambling is nothing new for this institution – it's been around since the days of Shoeless Joe Jackson, and was most famously utilized against Pete Rose, who was suspended for life. Rose and Jackson were reinstated just a few months ago after Manfred gave into pressure from the Trump administration to do so.
What makes Ortiz's allegation different than, say, Marcano's is that, per The Athletic, he "was pre-determining the outcome of his output." That puts Ortiz in an entirely different category, and how MLB responds will set a precedent for years to come. MLB's complicated relationship with the sports betting community makes such rules tougher to enforce. However, if they hope to keep players from participating in the same activities many of their fans thrive on, MLB must come down hard on Ortiz if they discover any wrongdoing.
Ortiz is being investigated for two pitches in particular, both of which were outlined by FanSided's Cody Williams when the news initially broke. The first was a slider far outside of the zone against Randy Arozarena in mid-June, while the second was a second-pitch slider far outside of the zone against Pedro Pages of the St. Louis Cardinals late in the month. The bets placed on said pitches correctly predicted if they would be balls or strikes, and were immediately flagged by a betting integrity firm.
Luis Ortiz gambling allegations: What does this mean for the Guardians?
The Guardians just ended a 10-game losing streak on Monday against the Houston Astros on Monday. While they wait on word about Ortiz, the Guardians brass isn't expected to hear anything until well after the All-Star Break.
“Not something we were expecting,” Guardians team president Chris Antonetti said.
Ortiz was placed on leave just prior to when he was supposed to pitch against the Chicago Cubs last Wednesday, Joey Cantillo was selected from Triple-A to replace Ortiz in the rotation. In what's been a lost season for Cleveland baseball so far, the departure of Ortiz from the roster only adds to their uncertain future.