Indians lose series finale in Detroit 7-5

DETROIT - Derek Lowe's rough day on the mound was only the beginning of his problems.

"I gave up seven runs, which isn't good, plus I have a lot of family here, and now I have to face them," the Cleveland right-hander said. "That won't be fun."

Lowe allowed seven runs and nine hits in his return to Michigan, and the Indians fell 7-5 to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Detroit avoided a three-game sweep and beat Cleveland for the first time in six meetings this year.

Miguel Cabrera homered, Brennan Boesch broke out of a slump with a pair of hits and Casey Crosby earned his first major league win for the Tigers. Cleveland nearly rallied from a 7-1 deficit but, with the Tigers leading by two, the Indians left the bases loaded in the seventh and two on in the eighth.

"It was a good series overall, but seven was just too many for us today," Cleveland manager Manny Acta said. "Our offense did a great job of battling back. We had a couple times where we just needed one more hit."

Crosby (1-1) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings in his second career start. Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 13 chances.

Lowe (7-4) grew up in nearby Dearborn, but any hope of a nice homecoming against the Tigers slipped away quickly. He gave up four runs in the first and three in the fourth.

It was his second poor outing in three starts. He allowed eight runs against the Chicago White Sox on May 26.

"They had the same approach against me as the White Sox -- they came out ultra-aggressive in the first inning and they took advantage of some bad pitches," Lowe said. "It doesn't matter how long I've been playing, or how much success I've had, I'm the same as a rookie. When people start hitting me, I have to make an adjustment."

Boesch's single in the first put runners on first and third with nobody out, ending a 2-for-38 stretch for the big right fielder. Prince Fielder, Delmon Young and Don Kelly hit RBI singles, and another run came home on a wild pitch.

The Tigers were a season-high six games under .500 coming into the game -- a far cry from what was expected when the defending AL Central champions added Fielder in the offseason. They lost to Cleveland on Wednesday night in part because an error by Boesch led to three unearned runs.

On Thursday, Boesch's RBI double in the fourth made it 5-1, and Cabrera followed with his 13th homer of the year, a two-run shot that barely cleared the wall in right.

"I'm tired of talking about adjustments," Boesch said. "Hitting is not about some mechanical thing, it's just grinding out at-bats and doing what you can to help the team win."

The Indians eventually chased Crosby in the sixth and scored two runs that inning. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run double in the seventh to make it 7-5, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland brought Joaquin Benoit in with two outs and men on first and third.

Cleanup hitter Carlos Santana drew a walk to load the bases, and Jose Lopez hit a deep fly ball. Detroit's Quintin Berry nearly got turned around in center field but was able to make the catch.

With runners on second and third and two outs in the eighth, Benoit got Shin-soo Choo to hit a popup.

NOTES: Cleveland manager Manny Acta discussed OF Grady Sizemore's return from lower back surgery before the game. "I think the process has been slowed down a little bit, but we never had any timetable for Grady," Acta said. ... Fielder extended his hitting streak to 14 games. ... Cleveland's Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 15. ... Detroit RHP Brayan Villarreal relieved Crosby in the sixth and threw 15 straight strikes before finally missing the zone the following inning. ... Lopez was at third as a base runner in the fourth when he was sent sprawling to avoid being hit by Shelley Duncan's foul line drive. ... Detroit is at Cincinnati on Friday night, with RHP Rick Porcello (3-4) starting against RHP Mat Latos (4-2) of the Reds. ... The Indians are at St. Louis on Friday night. Cleveland RHP Josh Tomlin (2-3) starts against RHP Jake Westbrook (4-5).