DETROIT _ James Shields wasn't the antidote.
He of the 7.49 ERA and 1.77 WHIP entering Monday's series opener, the once-great veteran whom the Detroit Tigers had seen twice already this season.
The White Sox weren't, either, they of the sub-.500 record, toiling near the bottom of the American League Central.
No, the antidote the Tigers' struggling offense needed was a player struggling just the same. It was catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who propelled the team to a big win over a bad team with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning at Comerica Park. The Tigers won, 4-3.
Saltalamacchia's home run came two batters after J.D. Martinez led off the eighth inning with a walk. On the towering fly over the high wall in right-center field, Martinez pointed towards Saltalamacchia, who gave first base coach Omar Vizquel an emphatic high five.
The home run put a temporary halt to the team's offensive woes at home, which seemed to swallow up another opportunity to gain ground in the AL playoff race.
It took left-hander Matt Boyd off the hook after he stumbled for the first time in a long time.
Boyd started off strong, retiring eight of the first nine hitters he faced, but faded and eventually fizzled in the fourth inning, unable to stretch his string of consecutive quality starts to five.
In the fourth, the White Sox loaded the bases with a pair of two-out singles before Tyler Saladino hit a two-run single to center field.
Boyd pitched four-plus innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out three and walked two.
In the fifth, Cameron Maybin left the game after sliding into second base and suffering a contusion to his already bum left thumb. He's listed as day-to-day.
Down a run in the sixth inning, Justin Upton hit his 18th home run of the season to tie the game on a line drive shot to left-center field. But Upton's efforts would go for naught an inning later, when Saladino hit a solo home run into the White Sox bullpen.
The home run came off Alex Wilson, who relieved Boyd with 2 2/3 innings of strong relief work. He wiggled out of a two on, nobody out jam in the fifth inning. Wilson's only hit allowed was the Saladino home run.
After Saltalamacchia's blast, Francisco Rodriguez picked up his 37th save with a three-up, three-down ninth inning.
With the win, the Tigers pull within a game of the second AL wild-card spot.
