There's no question that the Philadelphia Phillies have missed Carlos Ruiz, whose 25-game drug suspension runs out this weekend. But as you wonder how much Ruiz's return will help, just remember that the Phillies were supposed to be helped by having Chase Utley and Ryan Howard playing every day, and also by having Roy Halladay rebound from his two bad early season starts. ...more

In the three weeks that John Lackey has missed with a biceps injury, the Boston Red Sox have gone 12-5 and have shown signs of being a serious contender to win the American League East. But while Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have been brilliant, the rest of the rotation hasn't. 3 to Watch says Lackey's return on Sunday could make a difference. ...more

Three times last week, Houston Astros manager Bo Porter pulled his starting pitcher before he got through the first inning. Porter called it 'a bump in the road.' More likely, it's a bad start to what could be a very, very bad season. ...more

Scouts following the National League East can't stop talking about young starting pitchers Matt Harvey of the Mets and Jose Fernandez of the Marlins. Meanwhile, those same scouts are wondering how to fix Roy Halladay, or if he can even be fixed. ...more

The Phillies said this spring that Chase Utley was back, and headed for a big year. Not everyone believed them then. It's more believable now, and more people outside the organization are also starting to say that Chase finally "looks like Chase" again. ...more

Roy Halladay always pitches well against the Mets. He always has, anyway. Now we wonder whether Halladay can pitch well against anyone. He gets his chance against the Mets on Monday night, in a game that leads off this edition of 3 to Watch. ...more

There's been a lot of talk this week about the 2012 Phillies lacking leadership. What they really lacked, as ex-Phillie Shane Victorino said Saturday, was a full season and presence of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. ...more

The Twins ended up trading two center fielders in one winter, which helped two teams in the National League (and may have helped the Twins), but didn't help Michael Bourn. GM Terry Ryan says trading two center fielders was not the original plan. ...more

Roy Halladay said Wednesday it was a lower-back issue that derailed his 2012 season. He said a new workout regimen has him feeling as good as ever. Does that mean he'll be the Roy Halladay who was once (not long ago) baseball's best pitcher? The Phillies, who need him to be very good, can only wait and see. ...more

Carlos Ruiz apologized Wednesday for using amphetamines, a mistake that got him suspended for the first 25 games of this season. Ruiz also had an emotional meeting with his manager, and Charlie Manuel said that he believes Ruiz won't "ever do it again." ...more