“Hope they’ll be OK” - Guardians forced to part ways with Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase as MLB investigates gambling accusations 

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase are expected to have their administrative leaves till Aug. 31 extended till the end of the season as MLB's investigation into their gambling accusations continues.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale spoke with several Guardians players who opened up about their fellow teammates. They are uncertain whether Ortiz and Clase will make a return to their clubhouse, as their lockers have been cleared out, but are hoping for positive outcomes of the investigation.

“I’ve talked to them a little bit," 1B Carlos Santana said. “I don’t really know what to say. I hope they’ll be OK. But I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. None of us do."

Initially, it was Ortiz who was placed on administrative leave on July 3. IC360, a firm that looks into anomalies in betting across websites, found that the Guardians starter's first pitches of the innings on June 15 in a game against the Seattle Mariners and June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals saw increased bets for a ball or a hit by pitch. Both pitches landed well outside the zone.

On July 28, the Guardians announced that Clase had also been made part of MLB's investigations. It has further deepened with the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) joining the investigation alongside the MLB. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had also instructed for a probable ban on small player prop bets susceptible to manipulation.

“That day really sucked, I mean, it’s definitely a blow when you lose two great players like that," OF Steven Kwan said. “I think we gave ourselves one day to mourn and get over it, but then you got to jump back into it. We’d love to see them back, but we also have to be prepared if they’re not."

Guardians are not blaming losing Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for current situation

Despite losing an important starter like Ortiz, having pitched 88.2 innings through June and probably the best closer in the MLB with stats showing a 44-save average over the last three seasons, in Clase, the Guardians showed no slack in form. They went into a hole when they lost ten straight in late June and early July, but bounced back with a 23-9 record from July 7 to Aug. 14.

But it has all gone downhill for them since, with a 2-9 record and currently on a six-game losing streak. They are 6.0 games behind the American League Wild Card cutoff and virtually out of the race.

“Our message to the guys was that we don’t know what we don’t know," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “All we can control is us working hard every day. I mean, our guys are resilient. These guys have handled things over the last year and a half, so they’re built for it.’’

Vogt and Co. will look to regroup and focus on ending the season on a high as they await the results of the investigation that has jolted the franchise.