Trio called up after Herd win
ROCHESTER -- The Buffalo Bisons beat the Rochester Red Wings here, 10-7, Friday night but will have to get though the last three days of their season without a trio of mainstays. Outfielder Ben Francisco, second baseman Luis Rivas and closer Mike Koplove were all called up to the Cleveland Indians after the game. And you can't argue any of the choices.
Francisco finishes his season with a .318 batting average and will have to wait to see if that's good enough to become the first Bison in 17 years to win a batting title. Rivas finished at .263 while Koplove had a team-high 14 saves.
That should be it for callups until the Bisons' regular season is complete. If the Herd makes the playoffs, however, look for some more roster shuffling. Andy Marte, Shin-Soo Choo, Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers would certainly be my choices. It will be interesting if the Tribe gives first baseman Ryan Mulhern his first big-league look after his MVP season here.
---Mike Harrington
