Luis Ortiz, pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, is being investigated by Major League Baseball after a betting integrity firm detected a pair of pitches that had received unusual gambling activity.

Ortiz was placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” until July 17 by MLB. According to ESPN, Ortiz had two pitches receive an unexpected game increase.

The alert was specifically issued for two pitches in two separate games where there were micro-bets on whether he would throw a ball or hit a batter on the first pitch.

The pitches were on 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 against the Cardinals, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that went well outside the strike zone.

The pitches ended up in the dirt for balls in both cases. The largest number of bets were placed in Ohio, New York, and New Jersey.

Some sportsbooks offer bets on the results of first pitches, bets often referred to as microbets.

What did the Cleveland Guardians say about Luis Ortiz?

Ortiz's paid leave, which ends after 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 was scheduled to start for Cleveland on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

“The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been suspended by agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation,” the team said in a statement. “The Guardians are not authorized to comment further at this time and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”

Luis Ortiz is in his fourth year in the major leagues and his first season with the Guardians, after three years with the Pirates.