Club's recent defensive woes concern Porter

HOUSTON -- Astros manager Bo Porter would like to see his team tighten the screws on defense following a stretch in which it committed eight errors which led to a total of seven unearned runs in the five games previous to Tuesday.

Houston entered Tuesday's game against the Cardinals leading the Major Leagues with 60 errors and 40 unearned runs in 77 games.

"More important to me are the compound errors, the errors that actually lead to unearned runs," Porter said. "You want to clean those things up. I said the group, to me, a lot of times, I think errors are more of a product of not understanding which plays need to be made."

Houston's skipper said players need to understand they have more time to make plays when the balls are hit hard and recognize when a fast runner means they have to get rid of the ball quicker.

"That's something as a coaching staff and a manager, we have to address with our players, and I think the progression has taken place and we'll get better in that area," Porter said.