DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -Brian Tallet has been working on his changeup this spring, and he's still trying to get a feel for it.

Tallet decided to keep the pitch out of the dirt while facing Brandon Inge in the first inning of the Toronto Blue Jays' 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday, and the third baseman connected for a three-run homer.

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``I just told myself, 'I'm not going to bounce them anymore. It's not going to get any better by bouncing it,'' Tallet said. ``I've got to be able to get that pitch in the zone. So we were working on getting it up a little bit and got that one up just too much.'

Tallet, expected to be Toronto's fifth starter, allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings.

``You take that one (changeup) away and it's a whole different ballgame,' he said.

``I don't think he would've thrown it in a (regular-season) game, especially 1-1, kind of a contact situation,' catcher John Buck said. ``Probably the cutter or that good sinker, his go-to pitches in that situation, two runners on. But I wanted him to throw that in a pressure situation.'

Nate Robertson pitched 4 1-3 innings for the Tigers, yielding two runs and five hits. The left-hander struck out four and walked two.

Ryan Raburn also homered for Detroit.

Randy Ruiz hit a two-out, two-run shot in the second inning for Toronto. It was his third homer of the spring.

NOTES: Toronto RHPs Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp, and LHPs Scott Downs and David Purcey each pitched one inning against minor leaguers at the team's training camp. Gregg, Frasor and Downs are competing to be Toronto's closer. ... Blue Jays 3B Edwin Encarnacion, testing his surgically repaired left wrist, played in a minor league and is slated to play another one Wednesday.