A mid-July visit to Cleveland has proved to be just what the Athletics needed to take their offense to the next level.

The Guardians may well be sellers at the trade deadline this season. Cleveland sits 12 games behind the Tigers in the American League Central and 4.5 games back in the Wild Card chase. They won six of their final ten heading into the Break which has them positioned squarely on the fence in terms of buying or selling at the deadline.

Johnathan Rodriguez hit his first home run in the majors, Slade Cecconi went a career-long 8 1/3 innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics 8-6 on Friday night

The Cleveland Guardians open a series against the A's tonight. Follow along for live score updates, highlights and more from the game.

Guardians All-Star Steven Kwan, who has been dealing with wrist issues for over a month, was not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

Carlos Santana and Lane Thomas are each veterans who are free agents at the end of the season. Jakob Junis could be a nice long reliever for a playoff contender. Given Cleveland's history of trading pitchers, Emmanuel Clase could be the next star reliever to be moved.

The Guardians have the 11th-best playoff odds among the 15 teams in the messy, crowded AL. Here's how they can beat those odds.