Cleveland Guardians Starter Being Investigated For Gambling; Start Against Seattle Mariners in Question
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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz could be out for an extended period due to an investigation opened by Major League Baseball against him related to a gambling inquiry.
Acording to a story from ESPN's David Purdum and Jeff Passan, the investigation was opened against him due to a pair of pitches that received "unusual gambling activity."
According to the story, betting integrity firm IC360 sent an alert to sportsbooks based on Ortiz's first pitches against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and St. Louis Cardinals on June 27. The two pitches were sliders outside of the zone, per the article.
The alert pointed toward "microbets" placed in Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Microbets have often been related to wagers placed on the results of first pitches.
MLB's investigation into Luis Ortiz is about these two individual pitches which received action flagged by a betting-integrity firm, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/2zvZhmrTlJ
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 3, 2025
Ortiz threw six innings for the Guardians against the Mariners on June 15. He struck out five, walked five, hit a batter and allowed six earned runs on five hits (one home run). Seattle won the game 6-0 and J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam.
Dad power 😤
— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2025
On his first #FathersDay since becoming a dad, J.P. Crawford launches a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/Oa0zD7HhwU
The MLB placed Ortiz on paid non-disciplinary leave through the All-Star Break (July 17). That leave was negotiated between the MLB and the MLB Players Association, and could be extended if the investigation extends past July 17, per the article.
MLB previously levied a lifetime ban against San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for placing around 400 bets on baseball. MLB also fired umpire Pat Hoberg for sharing a sports betting account with a friend later deleting investigation-pertinent messages.
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