Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers recently recorded 17 consecutive innings of hitless pitching, setting a team record since the franchise moved to Los Angeles, per the team's official Twitter account.

Fifty games into the 2014 MLB season, the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox find themselves at the bottom of the AL East.  Even with over 110 games left, Boston fans should start to panic.  Here are the five biggest takeaways from the struggling Red Sox's season so far.

They Need to Start Hitting

The Seattle Mariners have been searching for a reliable long-term answer at the leadoff spot for a number of years. They may have finally found one with center fielder James Jones.

Jones' major league career is only 22 games old, but his early returns are promising. He has all the traits you want in a leadoff hitter and has already established himself as a fan favorite as one of the Mariners’ most exciting prospects moving forward.

Houston Astros outfielder George Springer has hit home runs in four consecutive games to set a new franchise record for rookies, per Jose Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.

The Baltimore Orioles are not only one of the most dangerous hitting teams in baseball, but they're also the best defensive squad in the game. 

So, despite the fact that many of their best players are still quite young, the O's are clearly in win-now mode.

Any time you can incorporate a wine glass, maracas and a Hawaiian lei into your dance routine, you're doing strong work. 

All of these essential components were found in the "Call Me Maybe" rendition that Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale put together.

As weird as it may sound, lucky cowboy boots could help explain how the San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval has turned things around this season.

Sandoval was below the Mendoza line through the early part of May, but he has bumped that average up substantially recently. He has hit .429 with four home runs and 11 RBI during his current six-game hitting streak.

The Kansas City Royals experienced a scary moment over the weekend when Yordano Ventura left Monday's start with elbow discomfort. The organization announced a setback to prospect Kyle Zimmer this morning. It has been a rough few days to be a Kansas City pitcher.

At this point in the season, the San Francisco Giants are rolling.

The biggest issue so far?  Hunter Pence having his scooter stolen.