Yeah, Nixon was out (nicely timing his suspension to match a pair of left-handed opposing starters), but Ortiz was available, and it was an interesting move to put in Mirabelli at DH… the grand slam made Francona look like a genius. I’ve always felt bad for Mike Maroth since that awful 2003 season, but you can’t keep walking people or letting people put the ball in play and then expect to get out unscathed.
Halama had a decent start, making for a couple of decent outings for the spot starters. 5IP, 2ER is very decent indeed. And Johnny Damon’s hitting .360. At that rate, I really don’t care what book he wrote in the offseason.