By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET – Looks like the Boston Red Sox haven’t seen the last of Michael Bowden this season. The highly-touted pitching prospect, who made his big-league debut over the weekend, is heading to the bullpen with the idea he might be a factor down the stretch.
Bowden was told he will pitch two innings Friday when the Governors’ Cup series shifts to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson confirmed the move, saying Bowden is scheduled to throw 35 pitches.
This isn’t a permanent move on Boston’s part, a la Justin Masterson. The Red Sox project Bowden to be a member of their starting rotation down the road. It’s just that management is taking a cautious approach with Bowden, who to date has thrown 149 1/3 innings this season between Portland, Pawtucket and Boston.

“They want to conserve my innings over the last part of the season,” said Bowden, who on Saturday picked up his victory since his Sea Dogs days (he went winless in seven appearances with Pawtucket). “My innings are getting up there, so this way I still have some options in case they want me back up there.”
Boston has always erred on the side of caution with its pitching prospects. The Red Sox didn’t hesitate to move Clay Buchholz to the bullpen last season after he had thrown a no-hitter. Buchholz finished the season at 148 innings before getting shut down in mid-September with a fatigued arm.
The Red Sox turned Masterson into a reliever earlier this season after he started out in the rotation. The move was designed to save and conserve valuable bullets, but there was a need for Masterson in the bullpen given the struggles the Red Sox relief corps have endured for much of the year.
Bowden’s previous high for innings was 142 2/3, set last season between stops in Portland and Lancaster.
“They really don’t talk to me about that,” said Bowden when asked if Boston capped him at a certain amount of innings. “Maybe 170-175.”
Bowden, who turns 22 a week from today, thought it was possible to pitch in the majors at some point this season. In fact, that was one of his goals when he broke spring training.
“Personally I believed I chance to (pitch for Boston),” says Bowden. “Now that I actually have, it’s comfortable knowing I can go out there.”
Now that he’s pitched in Fenway Park, Bowden says he’s looking forward to potentially pitching in the heat of a pennant race. “That’s what I’m hoping,” he said.
Bowden does have some relief experience, albeit a small sample. He followed Bartolo Colon on Aug. 5 in (ironically) Scranton, tossing six innings of one-run ball.  Prior to that he made two appearances out of the ‘pen for the Gulf Coast Red Sox in 2005, a few months after Boston selected him in the sandwich round (No. 46 overall) of the MLB Draft.
Bowden says he’s still riding an emotional high after allowing just two runs in five innings Saturday against the White Sox. “I’ve been waiting for that moment my whole life. It was a dream come true and everything I could imagine. You didn’t see an empty seat and the fans were going crazy.”