Joe Nathan admits he is dealing with a 'dead arm'

During an interview with Adam Schein of Sirius/XM's Mad Dog Sports radio, Detroit Tigers closer Joe Nathan admitted he's trying to work his way through a "dead arm."

Joe Nathan says he has a 'dead arm" going on right now, and that he's still "fine-tuning things" but it "hasn't hurt (#Tigers) too much"

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) April 9, 2014

In the interview, Nathan says he usually deals with a  'dead arm' in the middle-later part of spring training, but is able to pitch his way out of it. This year, it's gone more into the regular season. Nathan insists he's not alarmed, and will do what he does every spring -  work through it by continuing to throw.

Joe Nathan: "There's no secret to getting through a (dead arm) quicker, just have to keep throwing" #Tigers

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) April 9, 2014

Looking like the shutdown closer he's been for the majority of his career while tossing a scoreless inning on Opening Day, the 39-year-old Nathan has struggled since. In his last two outings, Nathan has blown one save, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in just 1 2/3 innings, his ERA rising to an uncharacteristic 6.75.

Nathan also gives his thoughts on the Tigers' injuries, the Miguel Cabrera extension and Max Scherzer turning down a deal. The full interview is embedded below.