The Atlanta Braves earned a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday evening. The Phillies' frustrations continued in the loss, as the Braves are trying to climb back in the National League East division race. Whit Merrifield, who went 2-3 with a run scored in Atlanta's win, got brutally honest on playing against a team that moved on from him earlier in the season.

“I would be lying if I said it didn't feel good to play well against a team that told you that you weren't good enough to play for them,” Merrifield said, via Bally Sports South. “I wasn't playing very good over there so it might be true at the time. It's nice to play well against your former team. I do love those guys. I wish them the best, just a little bit less when they play the Braves.”

The Phillies released Merrifield in mid-July. He later signed with Philadelphia's NL East rival in the Braves. The 35-year-old admitted he did not play his best baseball with the Phillies, ultimately recording a .199/.277/.295/.572 slash line across 53 contests. Since joining the Braves, Merrifield is slashing .236/.364/.345/.709 in 19 games.

He has certainly seen improvement with his new ball club. However, Merrifield does not exactly look like his former All-Star self. He made All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021 while with the Kansas City Royals. One may argue that age is a factor, but Merrifield made his third career All-Star team at 34 years old in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Perhaps he has more left in the tank. Atlanta's decision to add the versatile veteran should pay dividends, especially given all of the injury concerns they have dealt with in 2024.

Braves looking to steal NL East away from Phillies

The NL East division race is far from over. Philadelphia still holds a six-game lead over Atlanta but the Braves are capable of making things interesting. Earning victories in head-to-head matchups with the Phillies will obviously help matters as well.

The Braves' injury trouble will not help the situation, however. If veterans such as Whit Merrifield continue to step up and make an impact, though, then the Braves could end up stealing the division away from the Phillies.