Bowker taking advantage of great opportunity

John Bowker was in the lineup for the fifth straight game on Sunday playing first-base for the third time since being re-called from Triple-A Indy on September 1st. He has also made six starts in right-field.

Bowker was acquired from the Giants in the Javier Lopez deal on July 31st. He has been taking full advantage of his opportunity in the final stretch of the season and wants to be a part of the Pirates long-term plans.

“I’m looking at this as a great opportunity to come in and just show what I can do,” Bowker said. “It’s nice coming to the field and having a good feeling [that] you’re going to be in the lineup. I’m just trying to not do too much and just relax. Since I’ve been over here, I’m just really happy to just get the opportunity to play.”

General Manager Neal Huntington likes what he seems from Bowker who has had at least one RBI in four of his past five games.

“It’s an intriguing left-handed bat,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said of Bowker. “The ball comes off his bat very well, he’s got good power, it’s a short swing. When he uses the whole field, he can do some damage. Defensively, he’s adequate at right [and] adequate at first. He’s an intriguing guy. You can see why he puts up the numbers he puts up in Triple-A, and now the biggest question is, how does he translate that to the Major League level and in what role and in what situation?”

Bowker hit .303 in seven season in the minors. He had 44 home runs and a .562 SLG in Triple-A.