Porter proving adept at winning challenges

DETROIT -- Astros manager Bo Porter has a pretty good success rate in instant-replay challenges this year, getting five of the seven calls he's challenged overturned entering Tuesday. Porter had nailed five in a row before he rolled the dice in the eighth inning Monday and didn't get the call he wanted.

Porter gave credit to the men who monitor the replays in the clubhouse -- video coordinator Jim Summers for most home games, and coordinator of baseball operations Pete Putila for most road games.

"I feel like our guys are doing a tremendous job," he said. "When you start to get these [close] plays, you have your naked eye. But sometimes there's plays that happen and I think I see it one way, and quickly the phone will ring and they'll go, 'No, he's safe.' Those guys have done a tremendous job of getting the information down to us, and I think it's worked pretty well so far."

When he challenged a play in the fifth inning Monday, Porter turned to face the dugout while talking to the umpire so he could get a signal from bench coach Dave Trembley, who had been on the phone with the person manning the replays, on whether to challenge.

"By the time I went out there and started talking to the umpires, I received a signal that we should challenge," Porter said. "Your eyes tell you what you think about it, but at the same time, because you have the advantage of technology, you kind of get confirmation once you get out there."

Porter said one of the trickiest things about the new system is the fact you have to decide within 10 seconds on a play that was the final out of the inning whether to challenge.

"They don't want the pitcher standing there for a long period of time if they end up overturning it," he said.