Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen, who was offered the job of assistant general manager with the San Diego Padres, has decided to remain with the Red Sox.

Jed Hoyer, the former Red Sox assistant GM who was hired to replace Kevin Towers as the Padres’ GM last week, offered Hazen the position. Hazen has overseen the Red Sox’ farm system, which has become one of the most productive in baseball, for the last several years.

It’s unknown whether Hazen received any promotion within the Red Sox organization to remain with Boston.

The Houston Astros have hired Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills as their next manager. The team expects to make a formal announcement of the hiring sometime later today.

Mills went to Houston for a third interview this morning and was hired soon after. He replaces Cecil Cooper, who was fired last September. Interim manager Dave Clark finished out the season for the Astros and was also briefly considered for the job.

The Astros had initially offered the job to former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta, but the team’s refusal to grant Acta a three-year deal became a sticking point and Acta later accepted a three-year deal to manage the Cleveland Indians.

Mills joined the Red Sox in 2004 as the bench coach to his longtime friend and former college teammate, Terry Francona. He interviewed unsuccessfully for the vacant Seattle Mariners job last offseason, a position that eventually went to Don Wakamatsu.

It’s believed that Mills received a two-year deal with an option for a third season to manage the Astros.

Mills’ departure from the Sox’ coaching staff leaves Francona with a vacancy on the bench. He could promote one of two coaches on staff - third base coach DeMarlo Hale or first base coach Tim Bogar. Hale could also be considered by Mills to serve as his bench coach in Houston.

Bogar, as well as former Astros manager Phil Garner, also interviewed for the Astros managerial job.

The Red Sox almost began the 2009 post-season without their manager last night. Terry Francona, who had complained earlier in the day about some digestive issues, fell ill an hour before game time last night with a case of mild food poisoning.

Bench coach Brad Mills was given notice that he might have to run the team in Francona’s absence, though 40 minutes before gametime, Mills said Francona would manage the ALDS opener.

When the Red Sox and Angels were introduced shortly before gametime, Francona didn’t appear on the field before gametime. By the start of the game, a Red Sox offical confirmed that Francona was ill, but would manage the Sox. He could be seen in the visitor’s dugout in the top of the first inning

The Red Sox don’t have to submit their 25-man roster for the ALDS until tomorrow, but already, there are some clues to which way they’re leaning.

Outfielder Rocco Baldelli, who suffered a hip flexor in the third-to-last regular season game, is unlikely to be on the roster as the injury has been slow to improved. Instead, it appears likely that both Brian Anderson and Joey Gathright will be on the first-round roster.

The Sox currently plan to go with 11 pitchers, but are unsure as to the identity of the 11th man on the staff. With a four-man rotation (Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka) and six spots set in the bullpen (Jonathan Papelbon, Billy Wagner, Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez), the last pitcher’s spot comes down to Paul Byrd or Manny Delcarmen.

If Delcarmen is sufficiently recovered from the after-effects of a minor car accident Saturday, he’s the favorite to grab the final spot; if not, it will go to Byrd, who would give the Sox some length out of the bullpen.

Red Sox fans better prepare for some late nights when the team begins the ALDS against the Angels on the West Coast this week.

According to an MLB source, the first two games the Sox are likely to play — Thursday and Friday in the ‘B,’ or seven-day playoff series — will both begin at 9:37 EST.

It has been long assumed that the Yankees will choose the ‘A’ playoff series that will be played over an eight-day period.

So the Sox-Angels series will likely look like this:

Game 1: Thurs., Oct. 8 at Anaheim, 9:37 EST

Game 2: Fri., Oct. 9 at Anaheim, 9:37 p.m.

Game 3: Sun., Oct. 11 at Boston, 12:07 p.m.

Game 4: Mon., Oct. 12 at Boston, 8:37 p.m.

Game 5: Wed., Oct. 14 at Anaheim, TBA (but probably the prime time spot).

If for some reason, the Yankees choose the B series, the Sox would open Wednesday in Anaheim with a 6:07 EST start — but that, of course, is not likely to happen.