The Cleveland Indians have recalled RHP BRYAN BULLINGTON from the AAA Buffalo Bisons.

Get the Bisons 2009 Schedule today. CLICK HERE!

Bullington, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 11th and optioned to AAA Buffalo. At Buffalo he went 1-3 with a save and a 4.75 ERA (53.0IP, 65H, 34R/28ER, 13BB, 47K) in 10 games/8 starts. He was 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA (19.0IP, 24H, 10R/7ER, 5BB, 13K) over his final 3 starts at Buffalo and last pitched on September 1st at Rochester (6.0IP, 10H, 4R/ER, 0BB, 7K). He will wear #26.

Prior to joining the Indians Bullington was 4-6 with a 5.52 ERA in 15 starts (75.0IP, 90H, 46ER, 25BB, 60K) at AAA Indianapolis. He was with the Pirates, but did not pitch from May 29-June 12 and was named the International League Pitcher-of-the-Week after going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (2GS, 13.0IP, 12H, 2ER, 15K) in two starts during the week of May 19-26. He was designated for assignment by the Pirates on July 3.

Bullington was the 1st overall selection by the Pirates in the 2002 First Year Player Draft out of Ball State (IN) University. He appeared in 6 Major League games with the Pirates in 2005 and 2007 (0-3, 6G/3GS, 18.1IP, 25H, 12ER, 8K). After missing half of the 2005 and all of the 2006 season due to right shoulder surgery he went 11-9 with a 4.00ERA (150.2IP, 146H, 70R/67ER, 59BB, 89K) in 26 starts at AAA Indianapolis and was named to the International League mid-season All-Star team.

Tribe scribe, Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Bisons manager Torey Lovullo and pitching coach Scott Radinsky stay with Cleveland until the end of the season. They will not have official duties, but they will observe and take part in meetings and briefings.

At least one minor-league coach has not been retained by the Tribe: Buffalo hitting coach Dave Myers was let go.

Get the Bisons 2009 Schedule today. CLICK HERE!

Bank of America is proud to recognize the efforts of the Buffalo Bisons players and front office staff in the Western New York community. They would like to especially thank Herd outfielder Jason Cooper.

READ MORE: CLICK HERE!

This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Rochester Red Wings in the final game of a two-game series from Frontier Field (1:35 p.m.). Today’s game will also close out the 2008 season for the Bisons. At 66-76, Buffalo will fail to qualify for the International League post season. The Herd needs a win today to earn a split of the set following last night’s 5-4 loss in 10 innings.

Today’s News & Notes

This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Rochester Red Wings in the final game of a two-game series from Frontier Field (1:35 p.m.). Today’s game will also close out the 2008 season for the Bisons. At 66-76, Buffalo will fail to qualify for the International League post season. The Herd needs a win today to earn a split of the set following last night’s 5-4 loss in 10 innings. On the mound today for the Bisons is RHP Bryan Bullington. The righty allowed just three runs in seven innings on Wednesday but fell in defeat to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Red Wings will counter with LHP Brian Duensing.

TODAY’S STARTER: Bryan Bullington
-Last Game: 8/27 vSWB: (L, 7.0IP, 9H, 3R, 3R, 2BB, 5K), Bisons’ 3-2 Loss.
-2008 w/Bisons: (1-3, 4.60, 1SV)(9G, 7GS, 47.0IP, 55H, 30R, 24ER, 13BB, 40K).
-2008 w/Indianapolis: (4-6, 5.52)(15GS, 75.0IP, 90H, 54R, 46ER, 25BB, 60K).
-2007 w/Indianapolis: (11-9, 4.00)(26GS, 150.2IP, 146H, 70R, 67ER, 59BB, 89K)
-2007 w/Indianapolis: 1st in starts (26), innings (150.2), wins (11).
-Originally a first overall pick in 2002 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
-Claimed off waivers by Cleveland, July 10, 2008.

BULLY FOR BRYAN: RHP Bryan Bullington has been closing out the season strong for the Herd. Although he is 1-2 in his last five starts, Bullington has posted a solid 3.48ERA in August. He’s delivered three quality starts, including six innings without an earned run on August 22 in Syracuse for his lone victory as a Bison. On Wednesday, he allowed just three runs in seven innings, but the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees held on for the 3-2 win.

LAST CHANCE: There’s just one more game for Bisons players to add to their 2008 stats. OF Jason Cooper is looking for his 20th double and his 10th home run of the season. OF Todd Linden needs one RBI to reach 50 and one more home run to reach 15 on the year. OF Brad Snyder is second on the team with 99 hits. INF Josh Barfield needs one more stolen base to reach an even 10 for the 2008 season.

EVERYDAY ANDY: All INF Andy Cannizaro has done since joining the Bisons is hit. With five hits in his last eight at-bats, Cannizaro has raised his Bisons-average to .338 (27-80). He’s now reached base safely in 21 of his 24 games since being acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on August 4. In 51 games with Durham this year, Cannizaro hit .240.

ROSTER MOVES: Just before yesterday’s game INF Jorge Velandia was traded by the Indians to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. Velandia hit .209 with three doubles and eight RBI in 52 games with the Bisons this season. The Bisons also activated RHP Jeff Harris off the disabled list. Harris, voted by his teammates as the 2008 Most Inspirational Player, is 3-5 with a 5.01ERA in 18 games and 11 starts with the Bisons this season.

The bus breaks squelched outside the team hotel shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday morning, ending a six hour jaunt from Pawtucket, R.I. to Rochester where the Bisons will take the field for the final two games of season against their Thruway rival.

This trip started with dominating pitching and ended with a relentless offensive slug fest – both on the good side for the Herd taking the first two of the final four. Impressive how the Bisons have been able to battle Pawtucket, a playoff bound club, all season long. The Bisons took 10 of the 16 games this season and collected their third straight 10-win season against the PawSox.

On to Rochester, the ‘thorn in the side’ of the Bisons for majority of the season. Games that looked like wins didn’t materialize, error plagued marathons carried long into the night and until recently the Bisons had to stop a seven game skid against the ‘Wings.

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Rochester Red Wings in the first game of a two-game series from Frontier Field (7:05 p.m.). The Herd is on a three-game win streak as they enter the final two-game series of the season. On the mound tonight for Buffalo is LHP John Halama. The southpaw has lost two straight starts but was named the Bisons 2008 Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher on Wednesday. The Red Wings will counter with RHP Anthony Swarzak.

TONIGHT’S STARTER:John Halama
-Last Game: 8/26 vSWB: (L, 7.0IP, 9H, 9R, 7ER, 3BB, 2K), Bisons’ 9-1 Loss.
-Named Bisons 2008 Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher
-2008 w/ Bisons: (8-6, 4.74)(15GS, 2CG, 100.2IP, 115H, 59R, 53ER, 17BB, 41K).
-2008 w/ So. Maryland (IND): (4-1, 1.88)(8GS, 56.2IP, 47H, 13R, 12ER, 8BB, 48K).
-Career 56-48 with a 4.65ERA in 262 Major League Games (911.0IP, 492K).
-Originally a 23rd round pick (640th overall) of Houston in 1994 amateur draft.
-Signed as a free agent on June 7, 2008.

BURST THEIR BUBBLES: RHP Bubbie Buzachero has collected a save on each of the last three days. He now has 10 saves on the season, with nine of them coming in the month of August. Buzachero has posted a 0.71ERA in his last 13 appearances. Since July 29, he has allowed just seven hits and struck out seven in 12.2 innings of work.

COUNT ON BROWN: While 10 different Bisons batters collected a hit in the team’s 18-hit performance last night, INF Jordan Brown led the way. Brown went 3-6 with a double, a home run and three RBI. The double was Brown’s team-leading 30th of the season, while he also became the second Herd batter to drive in 50 runs this season. He has now hit in seven of his last eight games, with a .364 average (12-33) since August 19.

EVERYDAY ANDY: All INF Andy Cannizaro has done since joining the Bisons is hit. Last night, the infielder went 2-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on August 4, Cannizaro has reached base safely in 20 of 23 games with the team. He’s averaged .316 (24-76) with four doubles, three home runs and 13RBI. In 51 games with Durham this year, Cannizaro hit .240 with one home run and 14RBI.

PRONK: DH Travis Hafner went 1-3 last night and drove in the game’s first run. In six games with the team, “Pronk” is hitting .316 (6-19) with three doubles and four RBI. Hafner has also scored three runs and failed to reach base in just one of his six games with the Bisons.

ROSTER MOVE: INF Jorge Velandia was traded today by the Indians to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. Velandia hit .209 with three doubles and eight RBI in 52 games with the Bisons this season.