MLB has placed Emmanuel Clase on administrative leave pending an investigation. The Guardians closer is reportedly involved in a sports betting case, joining the list of suspects alongside teammate Luis Ortiz, who has been suspended for more than a month for the same reason.
Clase will not play until August 31, Major League Baseball announced Monday morning. The pitcher will not receive his regular salary while the investigation continues. “The Guardians have been notified by MLB that, as part of its sports betting investigation, Emmanuel Clase has been suspended with pay,” the team stated.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz: sports betting links?
It’s unknown at this time if the two players’ cases are related. For now, the only thing they have in common is that both Guardians teammates are being investigated for possible sports betting. It’s crucial to remember the strange pitches for which Ortiz was suspended.
Luis Ortiz was the first player suspended under the investigation. Clase will continue to receive his salary while the league investigates. He will not be considered for the team’s 40-man roster during his suspension. Clase, 27, has pitched 47 1/3 innings with a 3.23 ERA this year, a disappointing season by his high standards.
Luis Ortiz’s strange pitches against St. Louis
The investigation relates to bets placed on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher-than-usual activity during his starts in Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The betting activity on the pitches caught the attention of a gaming integrity firm, which brought the case to the attention of Major League Baseball.
In video footage of those games, it appears that Ortiz’s pitches were forced balls due to how far out of the zone they were thrown. Ortiz, 26, is in his first season with Cleveland after being acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. He has a 4-9 record with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season.
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