Middlebrooks entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and struck out in his only at-bat. He's gone 1-for-15 with seven strikeouts over his last four games. Kelly Johnson got the start Wednesday, but moved to left field when Yoenis Cespedes left the game with a hand injury. With manager John Farrell needing to get Brock Holt in the lineup everyday, a struggling Middlebrooks makes that task easier. Middlebrooks needs to generate sustained success against major-league pitching over the final month-and-a-half, or he'll find himself out of the team's plans for 2015.