A little over a week ago, after letting games against the Marlins and Orioles slip away, in ugly fashion . It was fair to question whether the Red Sox could -- as the saying goes -- take care of business down the stretch.

The eight-game road trip that followed sure did wipe away most of the doubt that might have cropped up. As a result, the Red Sox can now set their sights a bit higher than simply hanging on to a wild-card spot in the American League.

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And if they want to get greedy, they can place the AL East crown in their crosshairs.

The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep in Baltimore on Thursday, eking out a second consecutive 3-2 victory. They outscored the Orioles 15-7 after outscoring the Yankees 21-1

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