Verdugo goes extra mile for Oklahoma City

Alex Verdugo's slow return from the Majors appears to be a distant memory.
The top Dodgers prospect homered, doubled twice, scored three runs and drove in two more as Triple-A Oklahoma City blanked Memphis, 9-0, on Sunday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. It marked Verdugo's second three-hit performance in his last five games.

MLB.com's No. 28 overall prospect nearly went deep in his first at-bat during Oklahoma City's five-run first inning. He settled for an RBI double to right field and scored on Andrew Toles' two-run single two batters later. Verdugo grounded out in the second and almost went yard again in the fourth on another double, this one to left, before scoring on Donovan Solano's base hit. The 22-year-old popped out in the sixth before reaching the seats in the eighth, powering his ninth home run of the year over the right-field fence.

Verdugo's three extra-base hits matched a single-game high, accomplished on June 18 against Las Vegas. After going 3-for-16 in his first four games following his return from the Majors, the native of Tucson, Arizona, has gone 9-for-21 with three multi-hit games in his past five contests. 
Gameday box score
His big night at the plate strengthened what has been another standout season for the 2014 second-round Draft pick. Verdugo has batted .280/.345/.440 in 14 games during two separate stints with Los Angeles this season and leads the Pacific Coast League in hitting at .346. The outfielder has 28 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs and 39 runs scored in 76 games with Oklahoma City. His nine homers stand four shy of the career-high 13 he hit with Double-A Tulsa in 2016.

Jake Peter finished 3-for-4 while Solano and Toles had two hits apiece for Oklahoma City.
Starter Brock Stewart (3-2) allowed two hits and three walks with five strikeouts over a season-high 7 1/3 innings. Stetson Allie and Michael Johnson combined for 1 1/3 hitless frames to complete the Dodgers' seventh shutout of the year.
Memphis starter Jake Woodford (3-3) was charged with season highs of eight runs -- four earned -- and 11 hits in four innings. The No. 19 St. Louis prospect walked one and struck out four.