I can't really speak for Red October, but I do think he identified the primary concern with the Sox: that this is all for naught if they can't play their best baseball against the best teams. Before this month they were 4-5 vs the Yankees, 2-4 vs the As and 2-2 vs Houston. The split with Houston on the road was a good sign (IMO) but the record vs the Yankees and As was not encouraging.
Then they crushed the Yankees. I still consider them a diminished team and not as dangerous as Cleveland or Houston, for the time being. And I don't think they can straighten out their rotation in time this year. Battling back to a split with Cleveland was about as important to this "pecking order" discussion as a couple regular season games can be, even if they didn't really matter to any standings. I'm confident the players care a bit more about these matchups. And by the time those September showdowns roll around, the Sox will likely be resting guys.
If Red October was arguing that we knew nothing before this series, then no, I'm with you and a few others here in having seen lots of other signs of improved resiliency in this year's team. Not sure he was saying that, honestly.