CLEVELAND — Outfielder Trevor Crowe’s lengthy comeback is complete.

Crowe, who was sidelined for the first five months of the year after offseason shoulder surgery, was activated from the disabled list Wednesday. He was in the lineup for the series finale with Detroit, starting in left field and going 0-for-3.

Crowe, who hit .251 with two home runs and 36 RBIs in 122 games for the Indians last year, began his minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Arizona League Indians. It was transferred to Triple-A Columbus, where he went 2-for-20 with an RBI and two stolen bases in five games before his activation.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Crowe, outfielder Jerad Head was designated for assignment.

Head, who was recalled from Columbus in late August after outfielder Michael Brantley was lost for the season, had two hits in 23 at-bats (eight games) for the Indians.

Next up

The Indians are on the road for the next 11days, beginning a four-game series against the White Sox tonight (8:10) at U.S. Cellular Field.

David Huff (2-3, 2.81 ERA) opens the set, opposing RHP Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.45), while Jeanmar Gomez (2-2, 4.11) goes for Cleveland on Friday (8:10 p.m.) against LHP Mark Buehrle (11-7, 3.34).

Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11, 4.66) starts for the Indians on Saturday (4:11 p.m.), while Chicago counters with RHP Phil Humber (9-8, 3.45).

Fausto Carmona (6-14, 5.18) pitches the series finale Sunday (2:10 p.m.) against RHP Zach Stewart (2-3, 4.56).

Minor details

With the regular seasons complete for Cleveland’s top four minor league affiliates complete, here’s a look at the final team leaders:

Columbus – Luis Valbuena (.302), Head (24 HR), Valbuena (75 RBIs), Zach McAllister (12-3), Jeanmar Gomez (2.55 ERA), Josh Judy (23 saves).

Double-A Akron — Tim Fedroff (.338), Chun Chen (16 HR), Chen (70 RBIs), Austin Adams (11-10), Cory Burns (2.11 ERA), Burns (35 saves).

High-A Kinston — Bo Greenwell (.260), Adam Abraham (17 HR), Abraham (72 RBIs), Kyle Landis (9-2), Clayton Cook (9-9), Drew Pomeranz (1.87 ERA), Preston Guilmet (35 saves).

Single-A Lake County — Anthony Gallas (.314), Jesus Aguilar (19 HR), Aguilar (69 RBIs), J.D. Reichenbach (7-2), Clayton Ehlert (1.68 ERA), Ehlert (16 saves).

Roundin’ third

Shelley Duncan is just the second player this season — Chicago’s Carlos Quentin the other — to hit two homers in a game off Tigers ace Justin Verlander. … Verlander’s major league-leading 22 wins are the most by a Detroit pitcher since Joe Coleman went 23-15 in 1973. … Victor Martinez’s seventh-inning grand slam was his first since accomplishing the same against another Cleveland pitcher, Aaron Laffey, Oct. 3, 2009, at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox. … Tonight, 8:10, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Indians dropped an 8-6 decision Wednesday to the Tigers, who completed the three-game sweep.

Third-place Cleveland now trails Detroit by 9 1/2 games in the Central Division standings.

A grand slam from former Indian Victor Martinez in the seventh inning was the big blow for Detroit.

CLEVELAND — The Indians aren’t waving the white flag yet, but it is at half-mast and rising quickly.

Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana leaps in front of Detroit Tigers' Jhonny Peralta but can't catch a line drive for an RBI single by Tigers' Don Kelly during the first inning. (AP photo.)

A pivotal series against first-place Detroit has begun with consecutive losses for Cleveland, which was pummeled 10-1 Tuesday night at Progressive Field to fall 8½ games off the pace of the first-place Tigers.

The Indians got an abysmal performance from their starting pitcher — Fausto Carmona — while the Tigers got a brilliant one from Rick Porcello in picking up their sixth straight victory over Cleveland.

“It was a series we needed to win,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, whose team must win today to avoid a three-game sweep. “It puts us in a pretty bad position. Anything is possible, but it puts us in a spot where we have to win a lot of games and we have to get a lot of help.”

No one appeared to give up on the night more than Carmona, who allowed five runs in the opening inning, consequently taking his team and its struggling offense out of the game early.

Carmona (6-14, 5.18 ERA) retired the first two batters he faced before issuing a walk to Delmon Young, then allowing six consecutive singles, as the Tigers took control.

“We were never in it,” Acta said. “Fausto didn’t have it from the get-go. They pretty much had their way with him.”

After allowing an RBI double to Miguel Cabrera three batters into the second inning, Carmona was removed, surrendering seven runs on eight hits over 1 1/3 innings — the shortest start by a Cleveland pitcher this year.

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“The pitches were not working tonight,” said Carmona, who entered the night with a 3.19 ERA in nine starts since leaving the disabled list. “Everything went to the middle and it was easy to hit.”

Carmona, who hasn’t won a game at home since April 28 against Kansas City, was booed by fans during his outing and even more so after departing in the second.

In perhaps the biggest game of the season for his team, Carmona was at his worst.

“I feel bad,” he said. “Everybody knows that that game was important for us. I felt great, but you saw what happened.”

In a substantial hole from the start, the Indians did little to dig out of it against Porcello, who allowed just a run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander shut out Cleveland on one hit over the first six innings, with Kosuke Fukudome’s solo home run in the seventh providing the only blemish on Porcello’s line.

“Before you hit you’re already down 5-0,” Acta said. “That’s not easy. Porcello was tough with that sinker. He had us pounding it into the ground all night.”

Porcello retired the side in order in five of the seven innings he worked, needing just 75 pitches.

Every player in the lineup got at least one hit for Detroit, which outhit the Indians 15-4.

Former Cleveland players Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta played a big part in the victory over their old mates. They combined to go 4-for-7, accounting for five of Detroit’s eight RBIs on the night. Martinez provided the game-winning hit with a three-run homer in the Tigers’ 4-2 win Monday.

The Indians did get some positive news, with right-hander Josh Tomlin set to play catch today. Tomlin (12-7, 4.25 ERA) has been on the disabled list since Aug. 26 with a strained ligament in his right elbow.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — For all intents and purposes, the American League Central Division race is over.

Shelley Duncan, left, and Grady Sizemore can only watch from the dugout in the ninth inning Tuesday as the Tigers put the finishing touches on a 10-1 romp. The loss dropped the Indians 81⁄2 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central. (AP photo.)

The Detroit Tigers scored eight runs in the first two innings Tuesday night, then coasted home to a 10-1 destruction of the Indians.

With the loss, the Tribe fell 8½ games behind the division-leading Tigers with 23 left to play — meaning Motor City fans should immediately start saving their money for playoff tickets.

“As a team, we feel great right now. I’m not gonna lie to you,” said Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez, who played for Cleveland from 2002-09. “Still, this is baseball, so you never take anything for granted. We have an 8½-game lead with 20-some games left, but we have to make sure we show up and keep playing the game the right way every day.”

Martinez had two hits, two runs and three RBIs as the Tigers won for the second straight day at Progressive Field. They have beaten the Indians six times in a row, dating back to Aug. 11, to take command of the Central.

Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta added two hits, one run and two RBIs despite being booed every time he came to the plate. Tribe fans never warmed to him during his 2003-10 stay in Cleveland, which included time at short and third base.

Martinez, however, was a fan favorite on the North Coast en route to making three AL All-Star teams. He memorably wept after being traded to Boston by the Indians on July 31, 2009, in exchange for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price.

“The Indians have definitely earned a lot of respect around baseball this year,” said Martinez, who is hitting .325 with nine home runs and 85 RBIs in his first season with the Tigers. “They’ve been playing their butts off and have been battling the whole season. They’ve opened a lot of eyes, believe me.”

The 32-year-old Venezuelan remains close friends with Tribe shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, but doesn’t talk baseball with him during the season because they are competitors. He said they keep their conversations focused on their families and off-field topics.

The other current Cleveland player Martinez is familiar with is pitcher Fausto Carmona, who was the victim of Detroit’s early onslaught. The right-hander gave up seven runs and eight hits in just 1 1/3 innings, allowing eight of the Tigers’ nine starters to reach base.

“I caught Fausto for a long time, but I didn’t have an idea what to expect,” Martinez said. “He seemed to leave some balls over the plate in the first inning.

“The thing about Fausto is he can come right back with a pitch to end the inning. He’s got very good pitches to use, but it just wasn’t there for him tonight.”

The Tigers, who trailed the Indians by eight games on May 3, now hold the largest division lead in the AL. That advantage could swell even more this afternoon when Detroit sends Cy Young Award favorite Justin Verlander to the mound against Masterson in the finale of the three-game series.

“This game is hard enough, so putting any pressure on yourself only makes it harder,” Martinez said, dismissing a suggestion the Tigers should be anxious to put the final nail in the Tribe’s coffin. “We’re just going to keep thinking about our next game. People can congratulate us at the end of the regular season if we deserve it, but not now.”

Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.