Dion struck out four and allowed one hit and two walks over three innings in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins.
Brad Lord made his third consecutive appearance as a starter but was once again held under three innings, clearing the way for Dion to follow him in bulk relief. Dion has looked sharp in each of his three outings behind Lord, yielding no runs and giving up just two hits while posting a 12:3 K:BB in 10.1 innings during that stretch. The Nationals are likely to eventually get a potential starter in DJ Herz (elbow) back from the 60-day injured list in September, but until that happens, the Lord and Dion tandem could remain in place when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up.