Will Middlebrooks was only supposed to help the Red Sox tread water while Kevin Youkilis spent time on the disabled list, but the rookie has excelled at the Major League level. In 31 games with Boston, Middlebrooks has a .302/.345/.531 line with six homers and 22 RBIs. "It's flown by, to be honest," he said. "It's been more than I expected. The first couple days went by quick, everything was moving fast. But it's a daily thing, parts of a game can speed up on you, that's part of the game. The good ones here are able to slow the game down, and that's what I'm learning to do." Middlebrooks made his big league debut on May 2 when he was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. "Once I was up here for the first couple of weeks I really went, 'OK. I can play here,'" he said.