Washington.– The Baltimore Orioles have fired a high-ranking scout after Major League Baseball's newly formed investigative unit linked him to a gambling probe.

MLB was asked for assistance in the gambling inquiry about six months ago by the New York Police Department, a person with knowledge of the investigation said yesterday.

The fired scout, Alan Marr, was national cross-checker for the Orioles and the top person listed in the team's scouting directory. Andy MacPhail, the Orioles' president for baseball operations, declined to go into the reasons for Marr's firing.

Nationals general manager Jim Bowden denied an ESPN.com report that he and special assistant Jose Rijo are being investigated in connection with a scandal involving the skimming of signing bonuses for young Dominican players. "There's no wrongdoing," Bowden said.

"I met with FBI investigators. I think there are many people throughout baseball who are going to be talking with the FBI and Major League Baseball."