Bullington back in the bigs

The Pirates have recalled former No. 1 pick Bryan Bullington and demoted reliever Marino Salas to Class AAA.

The move apparently was made in light of the recent string of bad starting pitching by the Pirates (are you reading Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny) and the need for more long relievers.

Bullington certainly hasn't blown anyone way in Indianapolis, going 3-6 with a 5.68 ERA, but he has come on as of late. He has made several good starts in a row recently and was named the league's Pitcher of the Week last week. His most encouraging statistic is the strikeout-to-walk ratio of 46-18.

This will be a big call-up for Bullington, who like John Van Benschoten is 27 and nearing the end of his prospect status. Though he has been plagues by injuries (like Van Benschoten) Bullington hasn't performed all that well when healthy. He may not get too many more chances at the big-league level and needs to show something soon before he gets cast away to triple-A purgatory like Van Benschoten.