Jeremy Hellickson fails to stick with the Nationals. Wade Miley receives a retention bonus from the Brewers, and Edwin Jackson gets one from Washington.

The Orioles more often than not wait until later in the offseason to sign free-agent pitchers, but there has been plenty of value in November recently, too.

Treasure your Opening Days and your hair, everyone.

The 41-year-old Bartolo Colon has been baffling hitters going on 18 years, doing it in several different uniforms over his career, and on Tuesday night, he made history by beating the Orioles 3-2 at Citi Field in front of an announced crowd of 20,534.

As the Orioles open their two-game interleague series tonight, Jimmy Paredes, who has been the designated hitter in 11 of his 12 starts this season, will start at second base.

The Orioles will open their six-day road trip to New York tonight with the first of two interleague games against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

The 12 runs were the most the Orioles have allowed in a home opener since the first game of the team¿s disastrous 0-21 start to the 1988 season.

Just less than three months shy of his 41st birthday, free-agent pitcher Brett Tomko is hoping for one last chance to get back to the big leagues. Tomko will throw for the Orioles on Friday morning in Orange County, Calif.

A CBSSports.com report surfaced Wednesday evening that the club made offers to closer Grant Balfour and Nelson Cruz. An industry source said while the Orioles' discussions with Balfour were progressing on Wednesday night, their reported pursuit of Cruz was exaggerated.

O's need to keep their roster classy

The Orioles came to the winter meetings with their eyes on acquiring a left-handed hitter to help fill the void in left field and also at designated hitter.

The Orioles resumed talks with prospective free agents and possible trade partners during the first official day of the winter meetings Monday, and executive vice president Dan Duquette remains confident he will return to Baltimore with a new acquisition.

Fifteen of the 27 pitchers to start a division series game this year were developed by their current organization.

An argument could be made that the Orioles fielded a club this season with more stability — and talent — than the one that won 93 games and advanced to the American League Division Series in 2012.

Over the course of a 162-game season, some wins can get lost, but the Orioles' 4-2 victory over the Yankees on Sunday night was one that will likely resonate in the hearts of fans in Baltimore for a while.

Making just his fourth start this month, Casilla hit his first homer of the season ¿ and his first since last August ¿ a three-run shot off Cleveland right-hander Justin Masterson in the seventh inning to give the Orioles a 6-3 win over the Indians.

The 2013 baseball season could be unlike any other in history, with an unprecedented wave of suspensions possible by the All-Star break in the mushrooming Biogenesis scandal.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis eye-popping offensive numbers continued to gain him national recognition on Monday.

Leading by five runs in the sixth, the Orioles appeared to be cruising to their first four-game sweep of the Oakland A¿s in Oakland Coliseum in 26 years.

When the Orioles headed off on their 11-game West Coast road trip, it was fair to assume that it would be a very difficult trip and probably just as fair to think that the O's would be satisfied to get back with something close to a .500 record on the trip.

Major League Baseball and the players association have agreed to take the next step toward eradicating performance-enhancing drugs from the game by expanding random blood testing for human growth hormone to during the season and conducting additional testing for testosterone.

When things spiral out of control for Hunter, it is often because of his tendency to give up home runs. That was the case again Saturday night when the Athletics used a pair of two-run blasts to beat the Orioles, 6-1.

The Orioles' first-half statistics aren't pretty, but they hold one statistical trump card. The only one that really, truly matters right now: .529. That's the fifth best winning percentage in the American League.

With the non-waiver trade deadline coming at the end of the month, the Orioles are "going hard" after Milwaukee Brewers' Zack Greinke, according to an industry source.

Kevin Cowherd: Let's not spoil Orioles' fun by looking ahead to tough stretch

The Orioles rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth against A¿s closer Grant Balfour, keyed by catcher Matt Wieters¿ two-run double off the left-field wall and capped by Wilson Betemit¿s first career walk-off homer, to give them a 5-2 win.

The Orioles are going for the series win this afternoon against the Athletics here at Camden Yards. A Baltimore win would complete a 5-1 homestand and put the Orioles six games above .500 for the first time since 2005.

The word from around the B&O Warehouse is that the Orioles aren¿t done with their winter shopping.