Porter draws praise from Rangers' Washington

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Rangers manager Ron Washington has made it no secret that he's a big fan of Astros manager Bo Porter, who lost 111 games in his first season as manager in Houston's first year in the American League West.

Of course, Washington's Rangers were responsible for many of those losses, going 17-2 against their Lone Star State rivals last season in their first year as division foes.

"Bo has one of the toughest jobs in the game," Porter said. "I thought he handled it extremely well. He kept a smile on his face. He stayed positive. He showed up every day and tried to make them believe. That is what you're supposed to do as a manager."

Porter was a player when Washington was a coach with Oakland in 2000, and Porter leaned on Washington for advice while interviewing for managerial jobs.