St. LOUIS — Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin was predictably flattered to hear reports that he’s under consideration for the Boston Red Sox managerial opening. He was also predictably reluctant to talk about it as long as the Phillies are still alive in the postseason.

“I don’t even want to think about it right now,” he said before Game 3 of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. “We’ve just got to go to the World Series and win it.

“After that I’d like to put some thought in it. It’s nice to hear your name come up, but I really don’t want to talk about it or deal with it until we win the World Series. That’s what we’re looking forward to.

“I’ve always hoped that somebody would at least give me an interview. Hell, I’m 60 years old so sooner or later it’s bound to happen. It’s the top of the industry. There’s only 30 jobs like that. I’ve managed my whole life, so it would be great. It would be fun to have the chance.”

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Red Sox have not yet asked for permission to speak to Mackanin.

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BOSTON ? 

While the Red Sox and Rangers, or the Red Sox and Yankees, may certainly meet in the playoffs come postseason time, this past week wasn’t exactly a playoff preview.

There is no way to invent the intensity of postseason play, and even minor changes in the lineup, batting order, bullpen or pitching rotation can make big differences.

No, the lousy homestand that the Red Sox finished yesterday with a dismal performance in an 11-4 loss to Texas has no implications beyond this week other than that Boston did not play very well against two good teams and has not played very well for a while.

“It means nothing at all,” Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. “We went into their place and took three out of four.”

The Sox have been a mysterious team at times this season, but with the notable exception of the Phillies, that can be said for 28 other teams. The Sox were just 4-5 on the homestand, and are playing .500 ball since Aug. 9, going 12-12.

Yesterday, Boston was sloppy. For most of the week, the Red Sox have seemed tired. They look like hitters who bust their butts going down the line on every routine ground ball, but somehow find an extra burst of energy on a grounder deep in the hole.You can’t invent incentive, and right now, the Sox do not have much of it.

Over the season, they have played well enough for long enough to leave themselves some margin for error in qualifying for the playoffs. The Red Sox are 1-1/2 games out of first place, but beating the Yankees for the AL East title is much more important to the millions of fans who grew up watching Boston teams finish second than it is to the 25 or so Sox players who grew up in Texas, California or on Caribbean islands.

One of the Texans, John Lackey, was a driving force behind yesterday’s awful afternoon of baseball. To some extent, Lackey’s season has ridden the same kind of waves that the Red Sox’ season has. He was unimaginably bad early, then bounced back and put together a winning streak of six straight decisions.

Since then, he is 1-3 in four starts, with those starts coming against good teams — the Rangers twice, the Yankees and the Rays.

Lackey has seen the Rangers an awful lot during his career, and familiarity usually favors the batter, but he really is just an OK pitcher who needs a lot of run support to win. The Red Sox usually do that for him. But on days like yesterday, when they did not score until the seventh inning, Lackey is in trouble.

In some respects, the Rangers are like the Red Sox teams of the 1970s. Their offense is so good that when they face mediocre pitching, when the weather is right or when the ball is just falling in, they can make the opposition look helpless.

When that’s not happening, it goes the other way, which is why in 10 games this year between Texas and Boston, the Rangers have won three of them by scores of 12-5, 11-0 and 9-4, and the Red Sox have won three by 11-5, 13-2 and 12-7.

Texas also seems to have more Red Sox killers in uniform than most teams. You know, the Frank Catalanottos, Joe Carters and Lyle Overbays. With the Rangers, it’s Mike Napoli — who hit one of the longest Fenway homers of the 21st century — and former Sox outfielder David Murphy, who was shipped to the Rangers in the Eric Gagne trade in 2007.

Murphy has been a pretty good player for Texas since then, but not great. Still, Boston would be better off today with him in right than J.D. Drew, Josh Reddick or Darnell McDonald. In this three-game series, Murphy was 7 for 14 with a triple, home run and three RBIs.

A career .280 hitter overall, Murphy is a .333 hitter against his old team.

The Rangers have always been “one of those teams” for the Red Sox, and that goes back to their first year in Texas, 1972, when Ted Williams was their manager. Given how well Napoli and Murphy hit against them, and given how often strange things happen — usually bad — in games against them, it would be reasonable to think that the Sox hope it’s a long time until they see the Rangers again.

Except if it means the Sox are in the playoffs in October.

After a great off-season, the Boston Red Sox are the pick here to win the 2011 World Series. We’ll even go out on a ledge and say they will take down the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games.

There’s an awful lot to like about both teams.

The Red Sox added two of the bigger catches possible in free agency by signing slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and speedy outfielder Carl Crawford.

The Phillies, meanwhile, have accumulated one of the better starting rotations in history. They brought back left-hander Cliff Lee, a former Cy Young Award winner, to team with reigning and two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, World Series MVP Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

It’s tempting to pick the Phillies solely because of that stable of arms. They’ve combined for six 20-win seasons and 13 All-Star appearances. Last year, all but Blanton pitched at least 200 innings and had ERAs of 3.18 or lower.

During a news conference this spring, Halladay was asked whether he feels like pinching himself, knowing he is a part of such a dynamic rotation.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “A big part of it for me is not having the best pitching staff in history, but having the best chance to get to the postseason and the best chance to win a World Series. I’m definitely excited.”

In addition to Gonzalez and Crawford, the Red Sox strengthened their bullpen by adding Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler. Boston’s starting rotation remains solid, too, with Jon Lester, John Lackey, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz.

If the Yankees hadn’t lost out on Lee, they might have been the pick. But Lee chose Philadelphia, Andy Pettitte retired, and the Yankees’ rotation just isn’t what it used to be. Don’t count them out entirely, though.

Keep an eye on the Orioles this season, too. Not many people will likely give them a chance in the AL East, but they’ve upgraded just about everywhere on the roster. New faces include sluggers Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Reynolds and Derrek Lee.

The American League champion Texas Rangers have the offense, but pitching could be a concern. Still, we’ll take them to win the AL West.

It figures to be another three-team race in the AL Central among the White Sox, Twins and Tigers. Minnesota, led by gifted catcher Joe Mauer, always manages to make things interesting. Detroit is a sentimental choice, but the whole Miguel Cabrera mess makes us uneasy.

In the end, we have to side with the White Sox, even if we have to suffer through a few meltdowns by zany manager Ozzie Guillen. He’s got the talent to push this team to the brink.

* * *

In the National League, the favorites aren’t so clear. Other than the Phillies, whose pitching staff easily should carry them the distance, it looks just as wide open as it did a year ago.

Once again, several clubs could emerge from the mix and surprise in 2011, including the Braves and Mets and, yes, even the Nationals in the NL East. Washington quietly has been assembling some very good young talent and is getting closer.

There are four teams capable of winning the NL Central: the Cardinals, Reds, Brewers and Cubs.

Forget about the Cubs ending their World Series curse, though. They are a few pieces shy of realizing that dream. The Reds won the division last year, finishing five games ahead of St. Louis, and they have enough talent everywhere to repeat.

Something tells us, though, that this could come down to a final-week race between the Cardinals and Brewers. Milwaukee shored up its starting rotation by adding Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. That should assure the rotation improves upon its NL-worst 5.37 ERA from 2009 and its second-worst 4.65 ERA last season.

But we’ll take the Cardinals, even through ace Adam Wainwright had Tommy John surgery on his right arm and will be lost for the season. They will find an answer. They usually do.

The Cardinals couldn’t come to terms with slugger Albert Pujols on a contract extension, and that could be a distraction. But Pujols remains the best player in the game, and you can’t ignore that.

As for the NL West, the Dodgers might be able to regain control, and the Giants proved that pitching can take you all the way – but we really like the Rockies. It figures to be close, but their star power is intriguing. From Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki to Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies will bring it every day.

And we hope we do, too, when we boldly proclaim the Red Sox will topple the Phillies this year in the World Series – in seven games, don’t forget.

Published: Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 4:24 PM     Updated: Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 6:24 PM

Jon Lester says he thinks spring training lasts two weeks too long. Other players say they’ll get their work in, but they are ready to go.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks at it a little differently.

“Spring training is just flying by. I’m just going day to day,” the Boston Red Sox catcher siad.

He is getting ready for the season, getting acquainted with his pitchers, and getting comfortable as he takes on the biggest opportunity in his life.

“I’m not looking forward or behind. I think that’s what happened before, that I pushed myself too much” the man called “Salty” said Tuesday.

“I want to stay healthy and be ready for the season,” he said.

To Red Sox fans, Saltalamacchia is the mystery meat of this lineup. Injuries have held back one of baseball’s prized prospects of the mid-2000s, which makes it easy to think Salty is older has been around longer than he has been.

At 25, he is entering the point where most catchers establish themselves. Red Sox backup catcher Jason Varitek, for instance, didn’t become a proven major leaguer until his mid-20s.

Saltalamacchia, who turns 26 on May 2, did not play Tuesday night against Tampa Bay. He caught Jon Lester Monday in Clearwater against the Phillies.

“Jon pitched a great game. He got a little tired in the sixth (when the Phillies scored three runs in a 4-1 win), and gave up a couple of broken-bat singles, but he’ll be fine.”

Saltalamacchia has never caught more than 93 games in a season. That came in 2007, his rookie year that was split between Atlanta and Texas.

He caught 61 in 2008, 84 in 2009 and only 12 in an injury-plagued 2010 season that saw him traded to Boston at the July 31 trade deadlne. If he stays healthy, he is expected to play more than 100 games for the first time in his career.

The meaning of this season is not lost on him. Saltalamacchia seemed on the verge of becoming the latest hot prospect to morph into journeyman status.

With the departure of free agent Victor Martinez to Detroit, and the absence of other star-quality catchers available by trade or free agency, Salty has the No. 1 job on one of baseball’s premier teams. It is not by default, but the opportunity has been helped by circumstance, giving him a chance to work with a seasoned staff with a chance to play in the World Series.

The pitchers have spoken well of him, even while describing their relationship as a work in progress.

“He’s fine. He calls a good game back there,” Lester said.

There is no plan on manager Terry Francona’s part to match certain pitchers with particular catchers. Saltalamacchia has caught Daisuke Matsuzaka only once this spring, but forsees no issue with communication or strategy.

“No problem. We all communicate well together,” he said.

Saltalamacchia said batting against the Phillies’ Roy Halladay on Monday, and other good pitchers the Red Sox have faced, has helped him prepare for the season offensively.

“It’s great to face a guy like that. The season is approaching, and it’s a great challenge,” Saltalamacchia said.

The catcher has been hampered not only by injury, but by a throwing problem often described as the “yips.” He had difficulty throwing the ball back to the pitcher, which landed him in the minor leagues and probably made some teams leery of acquiring him.

The subject is almost never brought up now – not because it’s taboo so much as because player and team consider it old news that no longer applies. Saltalamacchia’st hrowing is back to normal, as general manager Theo Epstein said last year when he acquired him from Texas.

Largely overlooked at the time, amid questions of why the Red Sox did not trade more boldly in late July, the deal carries added importance now that Salty is No. 1, with soon-to-be-39-year-old Jason Varitek his backup and to some degree his mentor.

Even with the throwing issue over, Saltalamacchia has a chance this season to establish defensive credentials that remain a somewhat open question. It is believed he can hit, at least by the standards of his position.

A .248 hitter in 250 career games, Salty is hitting .250 this spring. Three of his six hits have been doubles.

When he has played an adequate amount of time, he has shown some power, hitting 11 home runs in 2007 and nine in 84 games (310 at-bats) with Texas in 2009.

Published: Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 4:24 PM     Updated: Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 6:24 PM

Jon Lester says he thinks spring training lasts two weeks too long. Other players say they’ll get their work in, but they are ready to go.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks at it a little differently.

“Spring training is just flying by. I’m just going day to day,” the Boston Red Sox catcher siad.

He is getting ready for the season, getting acquainted with his pitchers, and getting comfortable as he takes on the biggest opportunity in his life.

“I’m not looking forward or behind. I think that’s what happened before, that I pushed myself too much” the man called “Salty” said Tuesday.

“I want to stay healthy and be ready for the season,” he said.

To Red Sox fans, Saltalamacchia is the mystery meat of this lineup. Injuries have held back one of baseball’s prized prospects of the mid-2000s, which makes it easy to think Salty is older has been around longer than he has been.

At 25, he is entering the point where most catchers establish themselves. Red Sox backup catcher Jason Varitek, for instance, didn’t become a proven major leaguer until his mid-20s.

Saltalamacchia, who turns 26 on May 2, did not play Tuesday night against Tampa Bay. He caught Jon Lester Monday in Clearwater against the Phillies.

“Jon pitched a great game. He got a little tired in the sixth (when the Phillies scored three runs in a 4-1 win), and gave up a couple of broken-bat singles, but he’ll be fine.”

Saltalamacchia has never caught more than 93 games in a season. That came in 2007, his rookie year that was split between Atlanta and Texas.

He caught 61 in 2008, 84 in 2009 and only 12 in an injury-plagued 2010 season that saw him traded to Boston at the July 31 trade deadlne. If he stays healthy, he is expected to play more than 100 games for the first time in his career.

The meaning of this season is not lost on him. Saltalamacchia seemed on the verge of becoming the latest hot prospect to morph into journeyman status.

With the departure of free agent Victor Martinez to Detroit, and the absence of other star-quality catchers available by trade or free agency, Salty has the No. 1 job on one of baseball’s premier teams. It is not by default, but the opportunity has been helped by circumstance, giving him a chance to work with a seasoned staff with a chance to play in the World Series.

The pitchers have spoken well of him, even while describing their relationship as a work in progress.

“He’s fine. He calls a good game back there,” Lester said.

There is no plan on manager Terry Francona’s part to match certain pitchers with particular catchers. Saltalamacchia has caught Daisuke Matsuzaka only once this spring, but forsees no issue with communication or strategy.

“No problem. We all communicate well together,” he said.

Saltalamacchia said batting against the Phillies’ Roy Halladay on Monday, and other good pitchers the Red Sox have faced, has helped him prepare for the season offensively.

“It’s great to face a guy like that. The season is approaching, and it’s a great challenge,” Saltalamacchia said.

The catcher has been hampered not only by injury, but by a throwing problem often described as the “yips.” He had difficulty throwing the ball back to the pitcher, which landed him in the minor leagues and probably made some teams leery of acquiring him.

The subject is almost never brought up now – not because it’s taboo so much as because player and team consider it old news that no longer applies. Saltalamacchia’st hrowing is back to normal, as general manager Theo Epstein said last year when he acquired him from Texas.

Largely overlooked at the time, amid questions of why the Red Sox did not trade more boldly in late July, the deal carries added importance now that Salty is No. 1, with soon-to-be-39-year-old Jason Varitek his backup and to some degree his mentor.

Even with the throwing issue over, Saltalamacchia has a chance this season to establish defensive credentials that remain a somewhat open question. It is believed he can hit, at least by the standards of his position.

A .248 hitter in 250 career games, Salty is hitting .250 this spring. Three of his six hits have been doubles.

When he has played an adequate amount of time, he has shown some power, hitting 11 home runs in 2007 and nine in 84 games (310 at-bats) with Texas in 2009.

Former Phillies manager Terry Francona was in Clearwater Monday with the Boston Red Sox, the team he has led to two World Series titles since becoming their manager in 2004.

Francona, 51, is excited about his team after the offseason additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, but he will have something other than baseball on his mind this season. His son Nick, a former baseball player at Penn, is a Marine recently deployed in Afghanistan.

“He’s a sniper,” Francona told Ruben Amaro Jr. when the Phillies general manager visited the Boston dugout before Monday’s game.

That means Nick Francona is going to be in the middle of the fighting at some point, and that’s plenty of reason for a father to worry.

- Matt Gelb