After left-hander Ryan O’Malley threw eight shutout innings against the Astros in his major-league debut Aug. 16, things got so crazy there was even talk of a movie on his life.
But O’Malley strained his elbow in his next start and didn’t pitch the rest of the season. The Cubs released him after the season to make room on the 40-man roster, then re-signed him a couple of days later.
“Everything happens for a reason,” O’Malley said. “Definitely, my debut was a dream come true, and it crashed down when I got taken out with an injury. But at the same time I enjoyed my situation and being in the big leagues for two months. It was awesome.”
O’Malley threw two scoreless innings Friday against the Rangers in his second outing and is likely to be sent to minor-league camp soon. Because he’s not on the 40-man roster, O’Malley’s chances of making the team are slim and none.
“I just want to show them I’m healthy and a good pitcher and try my best to make the team,” he said. “I wasn’t on the roster last year when I got called up, so that doesn’t really bother me.”
And what about that movie?
“Nothing has happened so far,” he said. “We’ll see.”
Crisis averted
After talking by phone with Brandon McCarthy last week, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said McCarthy’s controversial comments about “negativity” in the Sox clubhouse were taken out of context.
McCarthy agreed but wishes he would have chosen his words more carefully.
“I wasn’t misquoted so much, but it could come off both ways [by Guillen] without having talked to me,” McCarthy said.
Cubs vs. Cubs
It’s just an exhibition game, but don’t tell that to Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild. The Cubs disputed a scorer’s call in Wednesday’s game at HoHoKam Park in which Carlos Zambrano was charged with two earned runs. After some initial hesitation, Mark De Rosa eventually was charged with an error one day after the fact, and both runs became unearned. The official scorer during spring games is an official from the home team.
