Former Phillies castoff Whit Merrifield gets his revenge with Braves

Former Philadelphia Phillies utility player Whit Merrifield had quite a game against his previous employer on Tuesday. Because of course he did.

With the Phillies opening a three-game series against the NL East rival Braves, Zack Wheeler looked mostly like his usual dominant self over his six innings.

Well, that is except for against former teammate Merrifield. Starting at second base and batting ninth in a depleted Braves lineup, Merrifield made sure that the Phillies and their fans took notice of his performance.

Former Phillies castoff Whit Merrifield gets his revenge with Braves

The 35-year-old veteran led off the home half of the third inning in a 0-0 game with a triple down the right field line. He got a bit lucky to get to third on the play, with the ball ricocheting off the low wall into right field, forcing right fielder Nick Castellanos to give chase as Merrifield went to third. He scored the first run of the game almost immediately after Michael Harris II brought him home with a single.

In his second at-bat, Merrifield went the other way, down the left field line. This one went all the way to the corner as he cruised into second base.

He walked in his third at-bat, this one against Orion Kerkering in the seventh. Max Lazar struck him out with the bases loaded in the eighth.

All told, Merrifield finished his night 2-for-3, with a triple, double, walk and a run scored in the Braves’ 3-1 win.

When the Phillies released Merrifield on July 12, he was batting .199/.277/.295 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 11 steals in 53 games. Since catching on with the Braves on July 22, he has appeared in 19 games, hitting .236/.364/.345 before Tuesday’s matchup.

While the Phillies castoff has landed on his feet, his former team hasn’t fared very well since that first of a handful of roster shakeups. The Phillies have played to a 12-19 record since releasing Merrifield, including Tuesday’s loss in the series opener.