Bryce Harper’s home run in the second inning gave the Philadelphia Phillies what they needed to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Saturday and advance in the National League playoffs.

It also cost the Phillies the services of former Paul Bryant High School and Alabama standout David Robertson in their bullpen.

“Last game against St. Louis when Harper hit the home run, he jumped up and strained his right calf,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said, “so he was not available for the last game.”

That explains the absence of Robertson after Phillies starter Aaron Nola left the game in the seventh inning. Three relievers continued the shutout, including Zach Eflin, who worked the ninth after he had one save during the regular season and had yielded a ninth-inning run to the Cardinals the previous day.

The injury also has kept Robertson off the Phillies’ roster for the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, which begins at 12:07 p.m. CDT Tuesday. FOX will televise the game.

“Yesterday, he got a (platelet-rich plasma) injection,” Thomson said on Tuesday morning. “He’s going to try to work through it. I don’t know when he’s going to be available, but, obviously, he’s off this round’s roster. Whether he’s available for the next round, we don’t know.”

Pitching in his 14th MLB season, Robertson joined the Phillies in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 2. For the 2022 campaign, Robertson posted a 4-3 record with a 2.40 earned-run average and 20 saves in 58 relief appearances.

Robertson appeared in his eighth postseason when he worked a scoreless eighth in Philadelphia’s postseason opener against the Cardinals on Friday. The Phillies rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth to make Robertson the winning pitcher in a 6-3 victory.

That moved Robertson’s playoff record to 6-0, and he joined former New York Yankees standout Lefty Gomez as the only pitchers in AL/NL history with at least six pitching wins and without a loss in the postseason.

“He’s devastated,” Thomson said. “He really wanted to pitch in this series. He knows how big a part he is to this club. He’s very disappointed. Trust me, he’s going to work and do everything he can to get back as soon as he can.”

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.