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.

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

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 8 1/2 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 theirs — Rick Porcello — in Detroit’s 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 we’re 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.

“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 Cleveland out 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 to accomplish as much.

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 5-for-9, 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. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Indians fell 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers on Tuesday, getting drubbed 10-1 by Detroit at Progressive Field.

Fausto Carmona took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits over just 1 1/3 innings — the shortest start by a Cleveland pitcher this season.

Kosuke Fukudome’s solo home run in the seventh scored the Indians’ lone run.

CLEVELAND — The Indians got some good news and some really bad news on the injury front Tuesday.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis was activated from the disabled list and was in the lineup, but starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list and is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow next Wednesday.

Carrasco, 24, is expected to be sidelined for 12-18 months, which means the prospect of him pitching before the 2013 season are slim. The right-hander went 8-9 with a 4.62 ERA in 21 starts for the Indians this year, his best work coming during a five-start stretch in June when he went 4-1 with a 0.98 ERA.

“It’s a big blow to our rotation,” said manager Manny Acta. “Starting with the second half of last year, he showed a lot of the guy we envisioned him to be. He was very valuable to us this year. We could see why this guy was so highly thought of.

“Now that we’re going to be without him for a year, it’s hard to swallow.”

The injury was not considered a serious one when Carrasco was first placed on the disabled list Aug. 8. But the pain lingered, with the Indians believing the ligament damage was caused over time, not by one traumatic event.

With the Indians in need of offense as they hang onto slim title-contention hopes, Kipnis was activated without a rehab assignment after spending close to a month on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.

“Kipnis is basically rehabbing at this level,” Acta said. “He’s fine, but in any other scenario, he would be down there rehabbing.”

Acta said Kipnis, who entered Tuesday batting .279 with six home runs and 11 RBIs in his first 18 big league games, would not play every day at the start. He is expected to miss the series finale with Detroit today.

Kipnis was replaced by Luis Valbuena in the eighth inning. Valbuena was added to the roster from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

In other injury news:

(bullet) Travis Hafner (strained tendon right foot) is on track to returning before the end of the month, but according to head trainer Lonnie Soloff, surgery is still an option should Hafner continue to experience symptoms once he is back on the field.

(bullet) Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo (strained left oblique) has begun taking batting practice and expects to leave the DL on his eligibility date Monday.

Visitation rights

Cleveland’s No. 1 draft pick, shortstop Francisco Lindor, paid his first visit to Progressive Field.

Lindor, 17, made what he called two tough decisions before signing with the Indians and receiving a $2.9 million bonus to begin his professional career. He chose the Indians over Florida State University, and before that, chose to leave his native Puerto Rico to come to the states for high school.

“It was kind of a hard decision,” Lindor said of leaving his homeland to attend Montverde Academy in Orlando, Fla. “But, as you can see, everything has worked out.”

The switch-hitting Lindor played in five games for Class A Mahoning Valley after signing with Cleveland, batting .316 (6-for-19) with two RBIs and an error.

According to scouting director Brad Grant, Lindor will report to the fall Instructional League and the Indians will decide where the top prospect will begin next season after watching him in spring training.

Minor detail

Double-A Akron left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz was named the Indians’ minor league pitcher of the week (Aug. 28-Sept. 3). He recorded two saves over the span, while tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing one hit and striking out six. De La Cruz, signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, made 16 starts for the Aeros before missing over a month with shoulder inflammation and being moved to the bullpen. He entered Tuesday with a 5-6 record and 4.19 ERA in 23 games (16 starts) for Akron.

Roundin’ third

Since blowing consecutive saves, closer Chris Perez had converted five straight and 10 of his last 11 save opportunities and had not allowed an earned run over his last 14 appearances through Monday. … Browns cornerback Joe Haden tossed out one of the ceremonial first pitches. He was decked out in a half- Browns (Colt McCoy), half-Indians jersey (Grady Sizemore), wearing stirrups with the Chief Wahoo logo and an Indians cap. … Today, 12:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Masterson (11-8, 2.92) vs. Verlander (21-5, 2.34).

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