Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela had consecutive RBI singles in a six-run fourth inning filled with five Houston mistakes, Lucas Giolito pitched a season-high eight stellar innings, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Astros 6-1 to complete a series sweep.

Regardless of the Red Sox' activity (or lack thereof) at the trade deadline, they are still riding a lot of momentum. They are winners of five of their last seven games and were 17-7 in July. With a 59-51 record, they are one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the second AL Wild Card spot.

After a frenetic trade deadline came and went, let’s take stock of who maximized their World Series chances and who could have done more (or less).