Tigers closer Joe Nathan remains committed to changing approach

Following a disastrous outing March 12 against the Phillies, when he allowed six runs (four earned) in two-thirds inning, Tigers closer Joe Nathan has tossed three straight scoreless innings. He has allowed one walk and has three strikeouts in that span.

“It’s just continuing to learn and adjust,” Nathan said after a perfect inning Friday against the Yankees, per The Detroit News. “We preach it all the time. We’ve got to adjust. We are creatures of habit but we also have to be very good at adjusting.

“When your game adjusts, your arm changes and you have different pitches, you have to adjust with it and not just think you can pitch the same way you used to.”

Nathan is coming to terms with the fact he is no longer a pitcher than can constantly throw in the mid-90s and finish off batters with a devastating slider. He's been working with pitching coach Jeff Jones on making adjustments to his delivery after Jones discovered last year a flaw relating to Nathan's arm slot.

“When baseball players are successful, and Joe’s been extremely successful in his career, and successful doing things a certain way for years and even a decade, it’s tough to tell yourself to change,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that Joe is looking at himself and trying to find ways to be better as he matures in his career."

Nathan said the adjustments have also had a lot to do with how he pitches to batters.

“Coming into this year, I’ve been concentrating on locating strikes, not just throwing strikes,” he said. “Before it was just go out and work ahead. Now it’s keep the ball down. I am way more effective when I am ahead in the count, but from there I have to keep the location down.

“When my fastball is down and my slider starts out at the same spot, it’s a much more effective pitch. And then from there, my curve ball opens up my other pitches.”