It was a rough Sunday afternoon at TD Ballpark for the Detroit Tigers, who were blanked 5-0 by the Toronto Blue Jays in a spring training contest that featured a roster heavy with minor leagers,  most of whom may find themselves making the trek to Toledo before the season gets underway.

Detroit's offense was largely absent from the start. Parker Meadows, Zach McKinstry, and Matt Vierling went down in order in the first on a pair of fly balls and a pop-out, and the tone was set. The Tigers would manage just nine hits on the afternoon and never seriously threatened to score, stranding multiple runners in the middle innings without capitalizing.

The lone bright spot in the Detroit lineup was Colt Keith, who picked up two hits on the day — a sharp ground ball single in the second inning that started a promising frame, and another line drive single in the sixth. Keith has looked composed at the plate this spring and continues to make a case for himself as a reliable presence in the everyday lineup. In the second inning, his leadoff single was followed by Jace Jung reaching on a single of his own, and Corey Julks reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases — but Tomás Nido ended the threat by striking out swinging to strand them all.

Toronto, meanwhile, did its damage early and often. Addison Barger was the headliner, crushing a solo home run in the bottom of the second to break the ice, then following it up with a two-run single in the third as the Blue Jays batted around for a four-run frame. A Josh Kasevich RBI double in the fourth pushed the lead to five, and that was more than enough cushion.

Detroit cycled through six pitchers on the afternoon. Bryan Sammons started and held things relatively together through the first two innings before unraveling in the third with two walks, a hit-by-pitch, and ultimately a two-out base hit from Barger that broke things open. Johan Simon, Tyler Mattison, Sean Guenther, Konnor Pilkington, and Cole Waites all saw time in relief before Marco Jimenez closed things out with a clean eighth inning — striking out the side on Robert Brooks, Je'Von Ward, and Nick Goodwin to provide one of the few tidy moments on the mound for Detroit all afternoon.

One of the quieter standout performances came from behind the plate, where Tomás Nido delivered a pair of pickoffs at first base — gunning down Tyler Heineman in the third and Sean Keys in the fourth to bail Detroit out of potentially damaging situations. It was a reminder that Nido's defensive savvy and game-calling experience bring real value, even on a day when the offense gave him little to work with.

Meanwhile, back in Lakeland, the conversation surrounding the Tigers extended well beyond Sunday's box score. The question of whether Tarik Skubal will make a second start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals hung over the clubhouse, and his teammates made clear where they stand.

Riley Greene put it plainly: "The competitor side of you wants to go back out there. We support him either way, 100 percent. It goes both ways for us. We want to watch him pitch again, but we also want him to pitch for us." Spencer Torkelson kept it even simpler. "He's got to do what's best for him. That's it."

Justin Verlander, who hasn't spoken with Skubal directly, acknowledged the weight of the decision. "It's a lot to weigh for him," Verlander said, noting that Skubal now has far more information having actually pitched in the tournament.

 As for the Tigers' official stance, manager A.J. Hinch made clear no decision has been made. "I don't think anything's been determined," Hinch said. "He's in a tough spot to accomplish everything." A second start was never part of the original plan built around getting Skubal ready for Opening Day on March 26 in San Diego, but as Hinch noted, plans can change — and right now, everyone is waiting to see what Skubal decides.

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