Fowler receiving hitting tips from Bonds

OAKLAND -- Barry Bonds was in the Astros' clubhouse on Saturday and Sunday at O.co Coliseum, visiting with his friend, Dexter Fowler, whom Bonds has been helping with his swing for about a year.

Bonds and Fowler were spotted going over video in the Astros' clubhouse following Saturday's 4-3 loss, and Fowler said they had dinner together later that night. Fowler didn't want to go into specifics about what they have been working on.

"It's just everything," Fowler said. "He's the greatest in the game."

Fowler, who called Bonds "a mentor," began working with Bonds about a year ago through mutual friend Glenallen Hill.

"He connected us up, and the rest is history," Fowler said.

Bonds declined to comment at length about his work with Fowler, saying, "I'm just here to watch him to do his thing."

Fowler, traded to the Astros from the Rockies last offseason, entered Sunday hitting .196 with one homer and three RBIs. He started the season by going 6-for-12 in the first three games before missing four games with a stomach virus. He's 5-for-44 since returning.

"It's baseball," Fowler said. "You've got 600 ABs, so you have a lot ahead of you."

Astros manager Bo Porter said he was fine with the presence of Bonds, who donned a uniform again this spring as a roving instructor for the Giants.

"You can't tell your players who to have personal relationships with," Porter said. "I'm pretty sure if you would ask all these guys on the team. … Omar Vizquel and Jose Altuve, they have developed a good relationship, and he pulled him aside last year and talked to him a couple of times. When you can learn from guys that have played the game at the highest level and you have a relationship with them, I don't see anything wrong with that."