MIAMI -- Months after making his MLB debut against the Nationals in a Guardians jersey in May, Will Dion now sprints out of the Nats’ dugout and takes a few hops to the mound for Washington.
The rookie left-hander has become a bright spot in the Nationals' bullpen. Dion sports a 2.84 ERA through 17 appearances this season, with 38 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP. In his first four outings since joining the Nats, he held opponents to an .037 batting average.
Dion, a ninth-round pick by the Guardians in the 2021 MLB Draft, was acquired from Cleveland for Foster Griffin at the Trade Deadline.
“[Dion] just continues to throw the ball great versus both left and right,” manager Blake Butera said after the Nats’ 3-2 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park. “He's done an outstanding job for us.”
He has also not allowed a run in any of his outings, helping provide stability to a bullpen that has owned a 4.81 ERA, fourth-worst in the Majors.
“We knew what we were getting when we got him,” Butera said. “We knew he'd be really good for us, but what he's done, it's hard to say we expected it to be this good this early.”
For Dion, the success has come down to confidence and the trust the Nationals have put in him.
“The ability to have their trust in me and to give me the outings and to give me the ball whenever they ask,” Dion said. “I do what I can to keep us close.”
Dion has embraced the different roles that come with being a middle reliever and has adapted to the mentality switch.
“Coming in [in the] third, you've got to cover innings, got to keep the boys close so they can do their job,” Dion said. “And I mean, this team can hit. I mean, they can bang the ball around the park. And then coming in later, it's full-on attack mode, and you can shoot and shout, and it's fun.”
On Friday, Dion followed opener Brad Lord with two outs in the bottom of the third. With Leo Jiménez on first after being hit by a pitch from Lord, Owen Caissie hit a two-out single before Dion retired the next seven batters he faced.
The 26-year-old threw three innings, struck out four and walked two on 48 pitches (31 for strikes). Dion threw his changeup for the most part, generating a 64% swing-and-miss rate on the pitch.
“I felt good,” Dion said. “I trusted [it] just like my other pitches. It's just depending on how I throw my other pitches, and I don't really think about it. I just throw it.”
Dion has pitched after Lord in each of his last three outings. Dion tossed three scoreless innings against the Reds on Aug. 9 and then blanked the Mets over 4 1/3 hitless innings Saturday, with seven strikeouts. He also threw a perfect inning his last time out, on Wednesday against the Rangers.
One of Dion's favorite things since joining the Nats has been his batterymate, Keibert Ruiz.
“He's amazing,” Dion said with a smile. “[When] he calls it, he calls it quick. It's like we have the same personality, and it's full-on attacking. I love that guy.”
Ruiz appreciates the way Dion attacks hitters, with his 67-degree arm angle helping make his delivery difficult to pick up.
“He commanded really well,” Ruiz said. “He attacked, got ahead. His fastball is really good, his changeup, too ... his breaking ball. He's just a tough guy to face. I think his delivery helps me a little bit. He's kind of funky, and yeah, it's great.”
Ruiz has been productive at the plate as well. He broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth with his eighth homer of the season.
“I’ve been trying to get a good pitch before two strikes,” said Ruiz, who is slashing .375/.423/.500 with five RBIs in his last seven games. “When they give me a good pitch to hit, [I'm] trying to be on time and don't miss it.”
The Marlins took the lead in the eighth on a pair of run-scoring singles. Daylen Lile knotted the score at 2 with two outs in the top of the ninth when his eight-pitch battle against reliever Pete Fairbanks paid off with a line-drive RBI single to left. Miami walked it off on Javier Sanoja's single in the bottom of the frame.
The Nats have lost 10 games when leading after seven innings, fourth most in the Majors behind the Tigers, A’s and Royals.
For Ruiz, the answer for Washington is to keep fighting, much like Lile did in the ninth.
“Keep fighting together,” Ruiz said. “Keep going, keep competing in every at-bat like Daylen.”