ARLINGTON, Texas -- There were no celebrations, and little reflection. The Red Sox were moving on.

During a stretch from Aug. 8-25, the Red Sox played all but three games (a three-games-in-two-days offering the players not-so-affectionally referred to as their "tripleheader") on the road, and that stretch ended Thursday night. Bags in the Rangers Ballpark visitors clubhouse were packed to go home, finally. As successful as the 17-game run was, it appeared as though the priority for the Sox was to look forward, not back.

Even with the period's punctuation -- a 6-0 win over the Rangers Thursday night -- there was little talk about what had been done. Take Dustin Pedroia's answer to the question of what it has been like to watch Adrian Gonzalez hit five home runs in the last three games.

"It's awesome. It's good," the second baseman said. "I like homers. It's awesome."

A look back at the last eight games of the season's most uncomfortable stretch, however, will show something more than simply survival. When the Red Sox finally entrench themselves back on their home turf for a while, and get through the uncertainty of this hurricane weekend, it may be a run that is a huge feather in the pennant race chapeau.

"This last trip shows a lot about our team," Pedroia said. "We came out here, lost the first game and played three great games. So we have to continue to do well, go home, I think we're there for a while, so we have to play well." 

So, with the next nine games at Fenway Park, here is what we learned from the Red Sox' eight-game road trip that tempered the clubhouse scheduling complaints and, for the most part, offered new hope heading into the home stretch.

STARTING PITCHING

The group of starters did their job, with Andrew Miller's 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball capping the eight-game effort. The starters went a combined 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA, not going fewer than 5 1/3 innings and not allowing more than four runs. 

The top of the rotation guys, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, offered the appearance of hurlers amping up for the final few weeks. Lester aced his only outing of the trip, giving up just one run over six innings, while in Beckett's two appearances he gave up just four runs over 13 innings (2.77 ERA)

Even the only loss from the group, from Erik Bedard, presented the Red Sox with encouragement. The lefty's six-inning, four-run start was viewed by many in on the Sox coaching staff as the most promising of his four games with his new team.

Then there was Miller, who hadn't started since July 31 prior to his Aug. 19 appearance in Kansas City. When identifying the best and the brightest of the trip, one can point to the lanky lefty who allowed just one run and six hits over 11 2/3 innings.

“It was fun to watch,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Miller's outing Thursday night. “I think the biggest thing he did was he repeated his pitches. We’ve always seen glimpses, and he just kept going out and repeating. Man, he threw fastball, breaking ball, changeup. Again, against a lineup that is pretty dangerous, and he really did a good job.”

RELIEF PITCHING

Little news emanated from this group during the trip -- with the exception of a Matt Albers meltdown in the Sox' Aug. 20 loss in Kansas City. There were seven runs over 21 1/3 innings, with 24 strikeouts and eight walks. The relievers also allowed just one home run during the 335-pitch stretch.

Most importantly, the combination of Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon continued to motor along. They only pitched in two games apiece, with Bard giving up just one hit while striking out four and not walking a batter in three innings, and Papelbon offering up two flawless innings, fanning three without any free passes.

Perhaps the star of the group, however, was Alfredo Aceves. The right pitched three times, totaling 6 1/3 innings in which he allowed a single hit and no runs while allowing insight as to the World of Alfredo: The Predictably Unpredictable Reliever.

"I always put my cards on the table," he told WEEI.com. "I don't [bullcrap], so I don't have anything in the back of my mind."

Another element of encouragement for the Red Sox came from Dan Wheeler, who gave up the group's only home run but also continued to ease his way into the world of the high-leverage innings. The righty pitched four times, giving up just two hits while striking out five and issuing no walks. And perhaps most importantly, he got out all but one of the left-handed batters he faced, a group that had been hitting over .300 against him.

LINEUP

When you're coming off three games in which you've scored a total of 30 runs, it's not difficult to siphon a healthy dose of optimism. In all, the group hit .301 with 12 homers, 51 runs and an .861 OPS.

There were so many Red Sox hitters who could claim passable grades on this trip that it is probably easier to separate those who head home with an element of uncertainty. Shortstop Marco Scutaro hit just .182, although he did walk four times. But it was Josh Reddick who struggled the most, hitting .167 (4-for-24), while going 0-for-5 in his limited time against left-handers.

After that, however, it was mostly positive for a group that continues to possess the best road numbers of any group in the majors. The Sox offense is six runs shy of equaling the Yankees the for most runs in the majors but has outdistanced New York by 26 runs when it comes to scoring away from home.

Eight members of the Red Sox hit .300 or better on the trip, with Gonzalez (.387) and Jed Lowrie (.370) leading the way (and David Ortiz going 3-for-8). And it was the Red Sox first baseman who also led the way in terms of impressions, which two two-home run games will usually lead to. Gonzalez finished the road swing with a 1.380 OPS, a far cry from his previous eight-game stretch in which the OPS was .708.

"When you're feeling good, your timing is good, your hand path is good, and that's what creates the ball about to come off your bat better," Gonzalez said after Thursday night's performance. Obviously, the ball is coming off the bat pretty well.

There were other encouraging instances. Ortiz (1.319 OPS), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (1.050 OPS), Carl Crawford (.953 OPS) and Darnell McDonald (.933) all came away with impressive production, with rookie Ryan Lavarnway also impressing with a .799 OPS and .304 batting average (7-for-23). (It looks as though Lavarnway will stick around with the team through roster expansion Thursday.)

It all led to the group reaching 80 wins faster than any Red Sox team since '78. Not a bad way to head into the final 32.

"I don’t think it’s time to take a deep breath," Francona said. "We’re hanging in there.”