Rock bottom? Rockies try to avoid worst mark over 162-game season as they emerge from All-Star break

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies had a projected top pick slide to them at No. 4 in baseball's amateur draft last weekend.

It's a win, and these days they'll take any “W” they can get.

At 22-74, the Rockies are in the midst of a historically dismal season. They’re on pace for 125 losses a year after the Chicago White Sox went 41-121, which is the worst mark since baseball adopted a 162-game schedule in 1961. The Cleveland Spiders have the most losses in a season, going 20-134 in 1899.

Colorado's struggles led to the firing of manager Bud Black in May. Recently, the team announced plans to restructure the front office. Last Sunday, a glimmer of hope for down the road as they drafted Ethan Holliday, an 18-year-old infielder from Oklahoma. His father, Matt, remains an icon in the Mile High City after sparking a magical late run in 2007 (dubbed “ Rocktober ”) that delivered the franchise's only World Series appearance.

Since that time, there have been nearly as many 100-loss seasons (two, 2023 and 24) for Colorado as playoff spots (three, the last in 2018).

Meanwhile, winning is happening in the city all around the Rockies. The Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022 and the Nuggets earned the franchise’s first NBA title a season later. The Broncos broke an eight-year playoff drought last season behind rookie QB Bo Nix.

“You start getting a reputation,” said Tom Zeiler, a professor of history at the University of Colorado who’s written several books on baseball. “Honestly, if the Rockies turned it around and became a playoff team ... they'd look back and laugh about this kind of thing.

"Winning changes everything.”

There just hasn’t been much winning this season, especially at Coors Field. The Rockies have yet to win back-to-back homes games in 2025. They’ve lost 17 straight home series dating to last season. Should they drop two of three this weekend against the Minnesota Twins, it would be the longest home losing series streak in league history, according to OptaSTATS.

“It’s been a year of ups and downs. A lot of downs,” said Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak, whose team trails the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers by 35 1/2 games. “We’re just trying to learn from everything.”

The team’s 74 losses prior to the All-Star break are the most since 1933 (the first All-Star Game). It's a mark that had belonged to the White Sox, who were 27-71 last season at the break.

“We’re all in it together,” Colorado first baseman Michael Toglia said. “Everyone’s grinding."

Jobs, though, have been the fallout.

Black, the all-time winningest manager in team history, was let go. Taking over on an interim basis has been Warren Schaeffer, who’s gone 15-41.

Last month, the Rockies announced a change in the front office and promoted Walker Monfort, the oldest son of team owner Dick Monfort. Walker Monfort will serve as the executive vice president of the Rockies and work alongside outgoing president and COO Greg Feasel, who's stepping down at the end of the year.

Between the losing and the lucrative deals that haven't panned out (See: Kris Bryant ), a growing number of fans are calling for the Monfort family to sell the team.

“We’re frustrated as well,” Walker Monfort said in a recent interview with Denver's KUSA-TV. “We know we can be better. ... There’s no reason to do this if you’re not going to try to win."

Nine players have made their debuts this season, including outfielders Zac Veen and Yanquiel Fernández, shortstop Ryan Ritter and pitcher Chase Dollander. Charlie Condon, the third overall pick a year ago, could be an arrival at some point this season.

The experience of a year ago certainly helped All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, who’s hitting .277 with 17 homers this season.

“That was something I was looking to hopefully take place,” general manager Bill Schmidt said of the growth from younger players. “I’d say they’re like your kids — they don’t always mature when you want them to.”

Maybe it’s time to ditch the humidor? Let the baseballs soar again.

The Rockies installed a humidor room at Coors Field in 2002 to control the moisture level in baseballs, which helps keep them from becoming dried out in Denver's thin air. They scored 658 runs at cavernous Coors Field in 1996 compared to 396 last season.

“I don’t see it,” Schmidt said eliminating the humidor. “It was a different game.”

One thing that really hasn’t been hurt by the slide is attendance. The Rockies are currently averaging 30,128 fans at Coors Field this season. That’s on pace with last season (31,360) and higher than their World Series run in 2007 (28,979).

Part of the explanation for steady attendance is the opposition: The New York Mets and Dodgers, for instance, remain big draws when they come to town.

Part of it is promotional: The Rockies invited every “Ryan” to attend a game on June 20 for a gathering of “Ryans.” Fittingly, Ryan McMahon homered on “Ryan Day” in a 14-8 loss to Arizona.

And part of that is simply setting: Coors Field, which opened in 1995, remains a popular gathering place. It boasts “The Rooftop” in right field, with a view of the Front Range.

“Baseball," Zeiler said, "is wonder.”

Since a 9-50 start, the Rockies have gone 13-24. Should they keep winning at that rate (.351 winning percentage) they would avoid surpassing the White Sox's loss mark. But that doesn't factor in the trade deadline later this month, where the Rockies have players such as McMahon and reliever Jake Bird who might garner interest from contending teams.

“We’ve got two options," Moniak explained. "We can tuck our tails between our legs and hide or we can face this head on and try to grow and try to get better from it.

“I think every person in this clubhouse is choosing the latter."

AP freelance writer Craig Meyer contributed.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) reacts after being pulled form the mound in the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - Colorado Rockies players leave the dugout after losing to the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game at Fenway Park, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - Colorado Rockies' Tyler Freeman reacts after being caught off first base on the back end of a double play hit into by Thairo Estrada to end a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer, right, gestures after being ejected during the third inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

FILE - The Colorado Rockies rest on the dugout rail while trailing the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks held up the effort.

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!" he said in a social media post Wednesday.

Governors typically control states' National Guardsmen, and Trump had deployed troops to all three cities against the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders. He said it was necessary as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, crime and protests.

The president has made a crackdown on crime in cities a centerpiece of his second term — and has toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act to stop his opponents from using the courts to block his plans. He has said he sees his tough-on-crime approach as a winning political issue ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Troops had already left Los Angeles after the president deployed them earlier this year as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration.

In his post, Trump said the troops' presence was responsible for a drop in crime in the three cities, though they were never on the streets in Chicago and Portland as legal challenges played out. When the Chicago deployment was challenged in court, a Justice Department lawyer said the Guard’s mission would be to protect federal properties and government agents in the field, not “solving all of crime in Chicago.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office in a statement said the city’s reduction in crime was due to the efforts of local police and public safety programs. Chicago officials echoed the sentiment, saying in a release Tuesday that the city had 416 homicides in 2025 — the fewest since 2014.

Trump’s push to deploy the troops in Democrat-led cities has been met with legal challenges at nearly every turn.

The Supreme Court in December refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area. The order was not a final ruling but was a significant and rare setback by the high court for the president’s efforts.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X Wednesday that Trump “lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard. Now Trump is forced to stand down.”

Hundreds of troops from California and Oregon were deployed to Portland, but a federal judge barred them from going on the streets. A judge permanently blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there in November after a three-day trial.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement Wednesday that her office had not yet received “official notification that the remaining federalized Oregon National Guard troops can return home. They were never lawfully deployed to Portland and there was no need for their presence. If President Trump has finally chosen to follow court orders and demobilize our troops, that’s a big win for Oregonians and for the rule of law.”

Trump's decision to federalize National Guard troops began in Los Angeles in June, when protesters took to the streets in response to a blitz of immigration arrests in the area. He deployed about 4,000 troops and 700 Marines to guard federal buildings and, later, to protest federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.

The number of troops slowly dwindled until just several hundred were left. They were removed from the streets by Dec. 15 after a lower court ruling that also ordered control to be returned to Gov. Gavin Newsom. But an appeals court had paused the second part of the order, meaning control remained with Trump. In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration said it was no longer seeking a pause in that part of the order.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom.

“About time (Trump) admitted defeat,” Newsom said in a social media post. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”

Troops will remain on the ground in several other cities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in December paused a lower court ruling that had called for an end to the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., where they’ve been deployed since August after Trump declared a “crime emergency.”

Trump also ordered the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis in September as part of a larger federal task force to combat crime, a move supported by the state’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee and senators. A Tennessee judge blocked the use of the Guard, siding with Democratic state and local officials who sued. However, the judge stayed the decision to block the Guard as the state appeals, allowing the deployment to continue.

In New Orleans, about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived in the city's historic French Quarter on Tuesday and are set to stay through Mardi Gras to help with safety. The state's Republican governor and the city's Democratic mayor support the deployment.

Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Jack Brook in New Orleans and Adrian Sanz in Memphis contributed.

FILE - A protester confronts a line of U.S. National Guard members in the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

FILE - Protesters stand off against California National Guard soldiers at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, during a "No Kings" protest, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)