The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen suffered a blow going into their National League Division Series clash with the Atlanta Braves, which gets started on Tuesday. Right-handed reliever David Robertson was left off the Phillies' NLDS roster because, according to manager Rob Thomson, he suffered a right calf strain while celebrating Bryce Harper's home run in Game 2 of their Wild Card Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Robertson did not accompany the team to Atlanta and instead stayed behind in Philadelphia to receive treatment, Thompson said Tuesday. In Robertson's place, the Phillies have added right-hander Nick Nelson to the NLDS roster.
Robertson in his age-37 season has been a key part of the Philly relief corps since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs prior to this year's trade deadline. In 23 1/3 innings for the Phillies this season, Robertson has pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 30 strikeouts against 15 unintentional walks. Overall in 2022, he has 2.40 ERA in 63 2/3 innings with 20 saves and a 2.31 K/BB ratio. While Robertson struggled at the command-and-control level late in the regular season, he was able to log a perfect inning with two strikeouts against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. As for Robertson's replacement, 26-year-old Nelson has a 4.85 ERA this season with 69 strikeouts and 36 walks, all unintentional, in 68 2/3 innings.
The Phillies enter their NLDS match-up with the reigning-champion Braves as heavy underdogs. During the regular season, the 101-win Braves finished 14 games ahead of the Phillies and, thanks to a first-round bye, are coming into this series heavily rested with their rotation lined up in optimal fashion.
