Maybe the Orioles’ 2025 Draft class is building its own little two-man thunderstorm.
On Tuesday night at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, Ike Irish and Wehiwa Aloy went deep in back-to-back swings during High-A Frederick’s 10-2 win over Rome. It was the fifth time this season the two have homered in the same game, and it also gave Aloy the second multihomer game of his career.
Hitting behind Irish has its perks, Aloy said.
"I get protection," Aloy said of hitting behind Irish in the lineup. "They pitch to me more than they pitch to him."
That connection has been showing up all season. The former Southeastern Conference rivals were picked 12 spots apart last July - Irish at 19th, Aloy at 31st - and they’ve shared a lineup 67 times this year. In that stretch, they’ve gone deep together five times and have also hit back-to-back homers on three occasions.
"[We're] just trying to outdo each other, I guess," Aloy said.
On Tuesday, Aloy got the upper hand. The Orioles’ No. 6 prospect homered twice, including the first of the pair’s back-to-back blasts.
His first came in the fifth inning, after he had already singled in the previous frame. Facing Braves right-hander Cade Kuehler, Aloy turned on an up-and-in fastball and launched a two-run shot.
"It's just reacting," Aloy said. "Just adjusting to the pitches.
I mean he threw a fastball up and in. I just kind of reacted and turned, and it gladly went over the fence."
Irish answered in the eighth. With Aloy on deck and the count at 0-1, left-hander Riley Frey left a heater over the plate, and MLB’s No. 79 prospect drove it high off the batters’ eye for his 16th homer of the season.
A few pitches later, Aloy added another one, finishing the night with his second homer and 15th of the year. He went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and pushed his season line to .298/.369/.506 in his first professional season.
"Just trying to do damage and hit balls hard," the shortstop said. "Our hitting coach over here, Jake Ratz, does a pretty good job on reports and what the guy has and what he throws in certain counts."
Both bats have been loud all month. Irish’s homer was his fifth in 12 July games, and he also went 2-for-5 with a double.
His season OPS climbed to .906, fifth-best in the system, and his July line sat at .354/.365/.750. Aloy’s three-hit night marked his eighth multihit game in 14 contests.
Aloy has seen plenty of Irish’s damage already, first as a college opponent and now as a teammate. When asked for his scouting report on the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect, he was concise.
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