A Grip on Sports: As players get healthy, the Mariners will need to make a couple roster moves that will, they hope, bolster the lineup

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Did you hear the crack in the middle of the night? No, not the one caused by the wind whipping through the trees. Though there was probably a lot of those. No, I’m referring to the one sometime after midnight. The heat wave breaking.

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• The Inland Northwest’s sweltering August temps are taking a hiatus. Heck, it might even rain Saturday morning – of course, Saturday, the day so many people are off work – and 70s will be the norm for a couple days. But don’t worry. It’s not global cooling. It’s just the usual. Even summer has an off day once in a while.

Just as the Mariners did Wednesday in Baltimore, losing 4-3 and seeing their eight-game winning streak end.

Luckily for them, even their off days are accompanied by a late rally and a shot to win. They just came up short, that’s all. Maybe it wouldn’t have happened if there weren’t two automatic outs in the lineup.

Dylan Moore and Mitch Garver. Two players who illustrate perfectly why it is so hard for teams that pinch pennies have trouble winning the big prize.

Moore was exceptional last season. In the field. As a utility man. He won the Gold Glove in that category. And he was also great as a pinch-runner. He stole 32 bases in 38 tries. But as an everyday player? Or even a fill-in when folks are injured? Nope. He played 135 games, struck out 123 times and posted an OPS of .687. That’s awful.

But late-inning defense? He could fill in everywhere.

That’s just not enough for the M’s. Not these days. Not when there is a division to be won. The irony of the situation is Moore, a career .205 hitter with little power, started out the season well. Was hitting .286 and slugging .557 when he went on the injured list as April ended. A bad hip cost him. Since he returned, he’s been little more than an automatic out.

With 20 hits at that point, Moore has 16 since. In four months and 117 at-bats. Dan Wilson only puts him in the lineup, basically, when someone tugs at their jersey and asks to be taken out.

Whenever either Luke Raley or Victor Robles returns, Moore will have to be cut. If the organization is serious about winning.

Garver is a different story. He’s struggling too. His OPS is more than 100 points below his career average, a number that was well over .800 when the M’s signed him before last season. But he is an experienced catcher with almost 400 games behind the plate in the bigs.

The M’s only option if they wanted to cut him loose? Minor leaguer Harry Ford, who has yet to take a big league at bat. No matter what he adds offensively – if anything – would be negated by having to learn the M’s staff on the fly. In the middle of a pennant race. Either that or catch Cal Raleigh every day and watch him melt before your eyes.

Our choices? If you have to keep Moore, use him as a late-inning defensive replacement/pinch runner and a one-game-in-20 shortstop. Garver? He’s in his role. No need to change now. Oh, and hope Bryce Moore’s return bolsters the pitching enough to get you to the finish line first.

• Guess what’s on the TV this coolish Thursday? More baseball. Besides the M’s’ game in Baltimore (10:05 a.m., Root), the Little League World Series begins.

I know it is easy to question why 12-year-olds are playing baseball on TV. Making money for ESPN and the organization that runs the annual spectacle in Pennsylvania. I’ve done it myself.

But there is one member of my household who is enamored by the games. Has been since he was of the same age as the players. And played baseball in a town without Little League.

Seeing it through his eyes, I’ve become less of a Grumpy Gus. Less judgmental. And try to be of the players, not of the adults surrounding it.

By the way, the two worlds of this column collide this weekend. The Mariners will face the Mets on Sunday in Williamsport (4 p.m., ESPN). It’s the annual MLB Little League Classic.

Wonder which Mariner will be the most popular among the younger set, Cal Raleigh or Julio Rodriguez?

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WSU: For the past few years, the Cougars’ specialists were set. Dean Janikowski did the kicking, Nick Haberer the punting. Solid and dependable. Both are gone now. Jimmy Rogers must start his Washington State career by filling up two key spots. Greg Woods tells us Rogers was able to entice a couple kickers to forgo South Dakota State and join him in Pullman. The other spots? Greg has that covered as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, where does your favorite college football coach rank in this yearly evaluation from The Athletic? If it’s Jimmy Rogers, he’s not listed. … Jon Wilner ranks in the Mercury News the soon-to-be-in-existence full Pac-12. WSU is sixth. … Schools are already working to add to their NIL payouts. Legally. … CBS Sports has named a preseason All-American team. … Washington’s linebackers will have their hands full this season. … So will Oregon’s defense. And the Duck offense. … Oregon State just finished its 13th practice. Lucky or unlucky? … Colorado turned off the music this offseason and turned up the volume of its workouts. … The Big 12 will have injury reports before its conference games this season. … Stanford needs to play better on defense. … A UCLA receiver has a high goal. … So does the USC offensive line. … A linebacker looks to make an impact at Arizona State. … So does a safety for Arizona. … The temperature is not the only thing heating up at Boise State’s practices. … San Diego State named its starting quarterback. … Colorado State has another do-it-all offensive player. … How will Utah State’s quarterbacks do this season? … In basketball news, we have another story to pass along on Arizona freshman Bryce James, LeBron’s son, and his first workouts with the Wildcats. … Oregon’s newest assistant has an interesting contract. … The Colorado women finished their nonconference schedule.

Gonzaga: My wife received her GU women’s season-ticket renewal form in the mail this week. And the Zags announced their nonconference schedule yesterday. One has to wonder if there is a correlation. Actually, I don’t think she cares who the women play. She enjoys the games regardless. Greg Lee has a story covering the announcement. … The men will be visited by another high-end recruit. And of course Theo Lawson has all the particulars of small forward Cameron Holmes’ Nov. 7 visit.

EWU and Idaho: Around the (current and future) Big Sky, Montana State has relied on its line to power the offense recently.

Wolfpack: There is no professional football in Spokane anymore. But there is a semi-pro organization. Liam Bradford has this story on the Spokane Wolfpack and their upcoming season.

Indians: Vancouver held off Spokane’s late rally and took game two of the series with the host Indians 6-4 Wednesday night. Dave Nichols has the game story.

Mariners: As is often the case, we linked the game story above. And do it again here. … Andres Munoz doesn’t seem to have any lasting issues with his dizziness from Tuesday. … We linked this Times story on a TV show yesterday. It is on the S-R site today. … We also mentioned George Webb’s hamburgers yesterday. For a reason.

Seahawks: Friday’s exhibition with the visiting Chiefs will be the first for most of the Hawks’ starters. They will play some. That means Klint Kubiak will be calling plays for Sam Darnold. … The receivers will be working together too. … A former UW player is finally getting a shot with Seattle. … How will the Hawks do? SI is not bullish on them.

Storm: Brittney Sykes’s first game in Seattle was a lot like all the games she’s played with the team on the road. A loss. The sixth consecutive loss means a WNBA playoff berth slipping away.

Sonics: The Trail Blazers are being sold. For somewhere north of $4 billion. Wow. If they stay in Portland – a Dallas businessman who owns the Carolina Hurricanes will be the lead owner – then whenever the Sonics return – for $4 billion too? – there will be that built-in rival “just” down the interstate. John Canzano has his thoughts on the sale.

Golf: The Fed Ex Cup playoffs continue this week but the big deal coming up is the Ryder Cup. And who Keegan Bradley will name to the U.S. team.

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• It’s been a tough morning. Late start, restless dog, wind, workers in the neighborhood. We are behind. But we were able to insert all the links for you. Just under the wire. Until later …