The righthander was lightly regarded through much of his career but had his greatest success with the Astros. In four seasons with the Twins, he was an unimpressive 11-19 with a 5.13 ERA but he was acquired by Houston for a minor leaguer after the 1988 season and blossomed into a valuable starter.

He was 7-1 in his first year under the dome and was a winning pitcher in four of the five seasons he pitched in Houston, compiling a 52-30 record with a 3.34 ERA. His career year was 1993 when he posted an 18-4 mark with a 2.77 ERA and was fifth in the league in victories.

Free agency came that winter and he signed with the Giants. Portugal later pitched for the Reds. Phillies and Red Sox but was never the pitcher he was while in Houston. For his career, his record was 109-95 in 15 seasons with an ERA of 4.03 and 16 complete games.