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BOSTON -- Will Middlebrooks reaction running down the first-base line might have summed up how his teammates were feeling when the Boston Red Sox finally got back to .500. The slumping Middlebrooks pumped his fist a few times after hitting an RBI single with the bases loaded, capping a two-run rally in the eighth inning that sent the Red Sox over the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Wednesday night for a sweep of the two-game interleague series. "I just wanted to help the team win and to contribute," Middlebrooks said. Mired in a 2-for-19 stretch and coming off an 0-for-5 night with a pair of strikeouts, Middlebrooks sent a hard grounder up the middle for the go-ahead run. "Ive been frustrated, but regardless if youre 10-for-10 or 0-for-10 or whatever, youre happy to contribute to a win in any way possible," he said. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli also drove in runs for the World Series champions, who reached .500 for the first time since the fourth game of the season. They failed in eight previous chances. "I dont think it was a mental hurdle," Boston manager John Farrell said. "I never heard too many of us mention that were bumping up against .500 and taking a step back. It was just more of a situation inside games where we had opportunities that we havent cashed in on, finally we do tonight." Skip Schumaker hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, who lost the opener to Boston 4-3 in 12 innings. It was the Reds 11th one-run loss, most in the majors. "We play a lot of low scoring, one-run games," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Were battling and well be whole soon, but until then weve got to find a way to create some distance between ourselves and our opponent. Itll come down to making every single play over the course of those last three innings to win the game, and it cant be like that every single day of a baseball season." Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, the Red Sox scored against two relievers. "Its tough," Reds left fielder Chris Heisey said. "We felt like we had the game and let it slip away." Napoli drew a one-out walk from Manny Parra, J.J. Hoover (1-4) walked pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes and A.J. Pierzynskis ground-rule double tied it at 3. Jackie Bradley Jr. was intentionally walked before Middlebrooks had his tiebreaking hit. Craig Breslow (2-0), who also got the win in Tuesdays game, pitched one hitless inning. Koji Uehara struck out the final three batters for his eighth save. Cincinnati starter Mike Leake pitched seven strong innings and was in line for the win before Boston rallied. He gave up two runs on eight hits, walking two and striking out four. Bostons Jake Peavy allowed three or fewer runs for the sixth time in seven starts, giving up three runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. The Reds took a 3-2 lead in the seventh when Roger Bernadina bounced a slow groundout to second against reliever Chris Capuano with the bases loaded. In the bottom half, Heisey made a nice inning-ending running catch on Shane Victorinos liner into the gap with the tying run on second. Boston tied it with a pair of runs in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Ortiz and RBI double by Napoli. It could have been worse for Leake, but Grady Sizemore bounced to second with runners on second and third and, after an intentional walk, Bradley Jr. hit an inning-ending grounder. Schumaker, who came off the 15-day disabled list on Saturday after being sidelined since spring training with a dislocated left shoulder, homered in the third after Heisey had a leadoff double. The teams bounced into a combined five double plays, with the Red Sox turning three. NOTES: Farrell didnt start SS Xander Bogaerts to "get another left-handed bat in the lineup." Switch-hitter Jonathan Herrera took his spot and batted ninth. Bogaerts came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth. ... Leake had given up eight hits and four runs over seven innings in each of his last two starts. ... Reds RHP Alfredo Simon turned 33 Wednesday. ... The Reds are off until Friday, when they open a six-game homestand against Colorado with RHP Johnny Cueto (3-2, 1.31 ERA) going against RHP Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 7.20). After Peavy, Chacin is the second of four straight starting pitchers the Reds are scheduled to face with the first letter of their first name starting with the letter "J." The Rockies will are also slated pitch RHP Jordan Lyles and Juan Nicasio. ... Boston is also off Thursday before opening a six-game road trip in Texas when RHP Clay Buchholz (2-2, 5.63) faces Yu Darvish (2-1, 2.87). Anze Kopitar Jersey . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Cheap Los Angeles Kings Jerseys .Y. - Carey Price had an early feeling that one goal might be enough to settle the latest matchup between his Montreal Canadiens and longtime Original Six foe, the New York Rangers. http://www.cheaplosangeleskingsjerseys.com/ . Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. Tanner Pearson Jersey . Mueller is the grandson of the late Ron Lancaster, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback and longtime head coach in the CFL. Last season, Mueller was quarterbacks coach of the University of Regina Rams, his alma mater. Christian Folin Jersey . -- Green Bay wide receiver Greg Jennings will be on the sideline as the Packers make their push for a perfect regular season.This week the 2013/14 Premier League season comes to a close. Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. This list is based purely on their performances this season. It is not a list of who we think the best 50 players in the league are. Fourteen members were asked to take part (panel below) and submit their top 20 players of the season. Their list was then placed into a scoring system and then the totals determined the overall positions in the top 50. Each day this week we will release the list in 10s. The sport is very much about opinions, so please feel free to write your own list in the comments below. You can read part one of the list here. You can read part two of the list here. You can read part three of the list here. Here is how the Top 20 were scored – 1st place – 30pts; 2nd place – 25; 3rd place – 22; 4th place – 20; 5th place – 18; 6th place – 17; 7th place – 15; 8th place – 14; 9th place – 13; 10th place – 12; 11th place – 10; 12th place – 9; 13th place – 8; 14th place – 7; 15th place – 6; 16th place – 5; 17th place – 4; 18th place – 3; 19th place – 2; 20th place – 1. The Panel Six members of TSNs soccer team were on the panel and were joined by eight other members from around the world who were asked to represent their specific field. Joining our staff members were two outstanding statistical experts, Jonny Blain and Simon Gleave, two brilliant reporters/commentators covering the league, Stewart Coggin and Paul Sarahs and two extremely knowledgeable tactics writers, Tim Palmer and Ritesh from the False9 website and a man who covers the development side of the league like no other, Aidan from the England Youth website. In addition, also involved was arguably one of the knowledgeable writers covering the league in the world, Michael Cox, aka Zonal Marking. Follow the Panel on Twitter Aidan from England Youth – https://twitter.com/englandyouthJonny Blain - https://twitter.com/jonoblainNoel Butler - https://twitter.com/TheSoccerNoelStewart Coggin - https://twitter.com/StewartCogginMichael Cox - https://twitter.com/Zonal_MarkingJason DeVos - https://twitter.com/jasondevosSimon Gleave - https://twitter.com/SimonGleaveKristian Jack - https://twitter.com/KristianJackTim Palmer - https://twitter.com/timhpalRitesh from The False9 - https://twitter.com/TheFalse_9Paul Sarahs - https://twitter.com/PaulSarahsPete Schaad - https://twitter.com/PeteSchaadGareth Wheeler - https://twitter.com/WheelerTSNLuke Wileman - https://twitter.com/LukeWileman 20. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham) – We now know that Daniel Levy, Franco Baldini and Andre Villas-Boas didnt see eye-to-eye and we also know a lot of the money, from the Gareth Bale sale, that they collectively spent, may well have better served by being set on fire for a spectacular bonfire in the middle of White Hart Lane. Thankfully, some of their purchases worked out and none better than the new Great Dane, Eriksen. The 22-year-old is on a path to world-class stardom and still managed to perform at a consistent high level, whichever role he was asked to do under whichever manager was in charge. Few in the league can muster a better delivery from a set-piece or make a key pass in the final third. 19. Fernandinho (Manchester City) – The Premier League has not always been good to Brazilians. Sure, Juninho was wonderful for Middlesbrough in the 90s, but for every good Brazilian it seemed five others disappointed. Afonso Alves, anyone? Kleberson? Jo? Robinho? Things, however, are changing with Paulinho, David Luiz, Oscar, Ramires, Willian and Philippe Coutinho all shining in parts of this campaign. Citys Fernandinho, though, was the best of them all this season. Excellent with Shakhtar Donetsk, City identified him immediately as a massive upgrade to Gareth Barry last summer and how right they were. There are few smarter players in the league and the Brazilians discipline allowed Yaya Toure to blossom even more. 18. Leighton Baines (Everton) – The English left back never has a bad game for Roberto Martinezs men and has become one of the faces of the Premier League internationally. It is a remarkable rise to fame for a player who seems uninterested in the bright lights. Baines, regularly linked with a move to Manchester United under David Moyes, might just be the perfect fit for Everton, who continued to evolve under their new boss and didnt use Baines as much as an attacking threat in the final third as in the past (his successful ccrosses were down over one per game this season compared to last).dddddddddddd A shoo-in for a spot on the plane to Brazil for Roy Hodgson. 17. Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) – Many Premier League watchers scoffed when Southampton, recently promoted to the top flight, spent in excess of seven million pounds on a Spanish sounding Englishman from Burnley. ‘J-Rod showed flashes of talent last season, scoring exceptional goals against United and Chelsea, but this season made that price look like a bargain. The Saints were a treat to watch with their attacking flexibility this season, but all of that needed an end product and Rodriguez provided it with 15 league goals before his season, and World Cup chances, ended with a cruciate injury. Few are better in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper - a real measure of a strikers credentials. 16. Luke Shaw (Southampton) – Rodriguez is likely to stay at St Marys for some time, but his teammate, left back Shaw, may play his final game for the club this Sunday. It will be difficult for the club to turn down large offers from Premier League giants and the 18-year-old will probably be wearing the blue of Chelsea or the red of Manchester United next season. English football has waited for a talent, with a composed left foot, like this for some time. It is remarkable to think Shaw was still in high school two years ago as no stage has fazed him yet at the highest level of English football. 15. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) – The stats will show that Rooney scored 17 goals and, with 10 assists, contributed directly to 27 league goals in 27 starts (heading into the final weekend), but it was far from a great season for the forward. For a player labeled by most as ‘world class, Rooney hasnt taken over enough games and questions still exist as to what is best position is. A liability defensively when played as a number-10 against top teams, Rooney can thrive when placed directly up front, but with Robin van Persie that will not always happen. United paid handsomely to keep him long-term, as they should, seeing that they need a lot more players close to his talent, but the new manager needs to work on Rooneys consistency and see how he fits best with van Persie and Juan Mata. 14. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) – Harshly considered a flop after making a big money move to Anfield at a young age, the English midfielder blossomed on the big stage this season, leading Liverpools intelligent press with his fantastic energy and workrate. After spending almost 20 million pounds on a 20-year-old with much to learn, it looked like Henderson may be cast aside with other big money flops like Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll. Instead, Brendan Rodgers saw something Kenny Dalglish didnt and the rest is history. Henderson was badly missed while he was suspended down the stretch. 13. Gary Cahill (Chelsea) – This season Cahill took his game to another level. As the league continues to get more and more international, fewer English players are relied upon to play in big games. In just over two years at Stamford Bridge, Cahill has played under four Chelsea managers and has been one of the few players who has been trusted by all of them. A true big game performer, after stand-out performances in past European finals, the 28-year-old was exceptional for Jose Mourinho this season. Now an integral part of Roy Hodgsons squad for Brazil. 12. John Terry (Chelsea) – Cahill and John Terry were easily the best defensive centre-back partnership this season. Arsenals duo had a good season, but no one came close to the English pair. Terry will tell anyone who is willing to listen just how much he loves Mourinho and it is not hard to understand why. Last season, under Rafa Benitez, the Chelsea skipper spent much of the campaign on the bench but Mourinhos style, on and off the pitch, has revitalized Terrys career. 11. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) – Once the kid made famous for being shouted at by his manager on the ‘Being: Liverpool documentary series, Sterling is now a potential star in the Premier League. Last season he started well, but tired late and Brendan Rodgers rested his long-term project. This season, it was the opposite with Rodgers taking his time to unleash the 19-year-old until his performances were so good that the manager could no longer keep him out of the side. Had a number of outstanding games, but the world stood and took notice when he played at the top of a midfield diamond at home to Man City and was the games best player. Sterling has a real appreciation for space, but can terrify opposing defenders with intelligent, fast runs, as well. ' ' '