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As far as scary moments go, Friday’s events for Paul Konerko were right there at the top of his most frightening times in the game.

The White Sox captain was concerned about possible vision loss after getting hit in the head by Jeff Samardzija.

“In the first 20 seconds I had blurred vision and was a little worried,” Konerko said. “Once I realized it was skin that had swelled up over the eye and not the eye itself I was OK in my mind.”

Konerko missed the last two games of the Cubs series over the weekend as he waited for the swelling and bruising to subside around his left eye.

“It was definitely tough not to play those other two games with the wind blowing out 100 mph,” Konerko said. “You don’t want to miss those ones, but that’s the game we play -- sometimes you get hit and have to sit out.”

Konerko totally exonerated Samardzija for the pitch. The Cubs pitcher called Konerko in the Sox clubhouse on Saturday afternoon to see how he was recovering.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox had shown as much consistency over the last month as the city’s weather prior to arriving to Wrigley Field for the weekend showdown.

They won. They lost. Their starters pitched great. Their starters pitched awful. Their bullpen was unhittable and then very hittable. Their lineup followed the same trend and was productive on some days and non-existent on others.

Leading up to Friday, the White Sox had been winless in their previous eight series. They lost five of those series and split three others, and they were 9-15 overall in games during that stretch. The last series they won was a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners from April 20-22.

And then, they welcomed themselves to the Friendly Confines.

While the Cubs said goodbye to Kerry Wood in his retirement and dissipated any small hope for this season, the White Sox soared in the opposite direction. They celebrated three consecutive wins over their North Side rival, finishing with a 6-0 victory on Sunday, and swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field for the first time since 1999. They also returned to .500 for the first time since May 2 and moved within 2 ½ games of first place in the American League Central.

All in all, there was plenty for the White Sox to feel good about as they head back to the South Side for six consecutive home games.

“Obviously interleague is a kind of a cool change of pace for everyone, especially with a rivalry with the Cubs,” said White Sox slugger Adam Dunn, who homered on Sunday. “It adds a little extra incentive. For us to go out and play well three games is kind of icing on the cake.”

The White Sox nearly had every component clicking in the three wins.

Starting pitching: Phil Humber, John Danks and Jake Peavy combined to allow 11 hits and two runs in 19 innings in the series.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox went to the power game for a second consecutive day, finishing off the series sweep Sunday with a 6-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

How it happened: With the wind blowing out of Wrigley Field for the first time this season, only the White Sox took advantage, hitting three home runs. It was the second consecutive day the White Sox hit three home runs in a game, matching their season high. Jake Peavy gave up just three hits over 6 1/3 innings. Cubs starter Paul Maholm, who had won his last four decisions, gave up five runs for the first time since giving up six runs in each of his first two starts.

What it means: The White Sox’s domination of the Cubs continued as they improved to 18-6 in the last 24 games of the series. It was the third White Sox sweep in the series and first since 2008. The Cubs have four sweeps in the series. Interleague play on the road seems to agree with the White Sox, who have now won 20 of their last 24 games in NL parks. The White Sox are 10-1-1 over their last 12 interleague series on the road.

Outside the box (Cubs): The Cubs haven’t posted a winning record in interleague play since 2007 and didn’t help themselves this year with the three-game sweep at the hands of the White Sox. The Cubs are now 103-120 all time in interleague play, which started in 1997. They were 5-10 against the American League last season. They went 8-4 in that 2007 season, the last time they had a positive interleague record.

Outside the box (White Sox): Dunn hit two home runs against the Cubs during the weekend series and now has 43 career homers against them. It’s the most home runs Dunn has against one team. The Milwaukee Brewers rank second with 34 home runs. He has also hit 27 career home runs at Wrigley Field. Dunn’s current club remains the only team he has never hit a home run against.

Off beat: In the eighth inning, a Wrigley Field usher in the upper deck managed to get cheers from fans of both teams. When he took away a broom from a White Sox fan celebrating the sweep, he was cheered by Cubs fans. But as he walked the upper deck with it in hand, White Sox fans cheered the broom as it went past.

Up next: The Cubs will take on the Houston Astros on Monday with Matt Garza (2-1, 2.58 ERA) facing Bud Norris (4-1, 3.58) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Minute Maid Park. The White Sox will have an off-day Monday and then take on the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday with Gavin Floyd (3-4, 3.44) taking on P.J. Walters (1-1, 3.65) in the 7:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO -- Just a year ago, Kosuke Fukudome was wearing a blue uniform when the Chicago Cubs clashed with the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field.

But after spending a majority of his first four major league seasons with the Cubs, Fukudome now wears black and finds himself on the White Sox’s side of the yearly crosstown rivalry. While there are the obviously differences from a year ago, Fukudome didn’t feel as if his return to Wrigley Field was anything unique.

“It’s just coming back to another ballpark, nothing different,” Fukudome said through translator D.J. Masumoto. “I had some good memories in here, of course, because I used to play here, but now I’m playing for the Sox. I would like to make some memories with the Sox.”

So far, Fukudome hasn’t made many of those on the South Side. After signing a contract with the White Sox in the offseason, he’s played in mostly a pinch-hit role and has struggled at the plate this season.

Entering Sunday’s game with the Cubs, Fukudome had six hits in 36 at-bats and had a .167 average for the season. His start in right field on Sunday marked his first start since May 7.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko will miss his second consecutive game against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday after being hit by a pitch in the face in the series opener.

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As Jake Peavy prepared to pitch in the Crosstown Classic for the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, he couldn’t help but contemplate how close he came to becoming a Chicago Cub.

The 29-year-old pitcher was nearly on his way to the North side via a deal that would have sent five young Cubs players to San Diego when the Tribune Company went into chapter 11 bankruptcy. Then-general manager Jim Hendry was told by his bosses that he could not take on the hefty Peavy contract.

“I thought I was there and I knew it was very close,” Peavy said. “I was excited about it because I love the city and I have all the respect in the world for Jim Hendry and what they were doing at that time (with two straight division titles.) I loved the pitching staff that was in place and I really thought I could help, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

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CHICAGO -- With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other world dignitaries taking time out of their busy schedule to watch Koyie Hill swing some lumber, I was tempted to ask them when NATO was meeting to decide the fate of the Chicago Cubs.

My advice: Send in the armed drones!

On second thought, forget government intervention. Cubs fans should emulate the rabble-rousers protesting around the city during the NATO summit.

“What do we want? Wins! When do we want them? Before Theo is done rebuilding the farm system in 2015!”

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The aftermath of hitting Chicago White Sox captain Paul Konerko with a pitch on Friday was a bit surprising to Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija.

The split-finger fastball that tailed up and in to Konerko’s face has been interpreted as a purpose pitch on some national television broadcasts.

“I think those things create a big stir when things actually do happen,” Samardzija said. “In those cases you have to use common sense and know that I have him 0-2 and I’m throwing a splitter at 84 mph. I am not trying to hit him, I want to strike him out. There are times that you look at (a hit by pitch) as pretty obvious what has happened. Mine definitely wasn’t (intentional), but you have to have something to talk about.”

Samardzija was so concerned about Konerko’s health that he checked updates on his condition and tried calling Konerko after batting practice Saturday.

“Knowing that I did not hit Paul intentionally helped me move on after the game,” Samardzija said. “I did have to get over the initial hump of seeing a guy you know and respect take one over the eye. That is one spot for baseball guys that is sacred, around your vision. I’m sure it was a scary one for him but I had to get over the fact. It was an accident. Everyone knows Paul is a tough guy and he will bounce back big. I got word is he is all right and will be back soon so I wish him the best.”

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CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber and Chicago Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair disagreed Friday whether Humber intended to throw at LaHair in retaliation for White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko being hit by a pitch.

Konerko was hit in the head by a splitter from Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija in the top of the third inning. Konerko suffered a small laceration above his eye and swelling and was taken to the hospital for testing. He did not return to the game.

After pitching to Samardzija and three other Cubs hitters in the bottom of the third, Humber’s first pitch to LaHair in the bottom of the fourth, a high fastball, soared behind LaHair’s head. The pitch resulted in home plate umpire Tim Timmons issuing warnings to both dugouts.

“That just got away from me,” Humber said. “It’s one of those things that happens during the game.”
LaHair didn’t see the pitch the same way.

“Definitely felt like it was intentional,” LaHair said. “They waited a whole inning and then the first pitch was right at my head. I'm all right with getting hit and stuff like that, I understand, but when you start getting around people's heads that can be scary. It is what it is. Nothing happened. I didn't get hurt or anything so move on from it.

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A gorgeous, sunny day and breaking news of Kerry Wood's pending retirement couldn’t prevent the Cubs and White Sox from posting a record for low attendance.

The announced crowd of 34,937 was the lowest single-game attendance for a game between the Cubs and White Sox since the inception of interleague play in 1997. The previous low was 35,155 at US Cellular Field last year.

The news about Wood’s decision to retire came at about 9 a.m. CT. That the Cubs reliever planned to pitch in one more game before calling it a career seemingly didn’t do much to bolster ticket sales.

When Wood struck out 20 Astros at Wrigley Field on May 6, 1998, the announced attendance was only 15,758. The first Cubs vs. White Sox interleague game on June 16, 1997 drew 36,213 to Wrigley Field. The Cubs beat the White Sox 8-3 in that game, behind three hits from Ryne Sandberg.

CHICAGO -- If there is one place where trouble might find you this weekend, it’s downtown Chicago, where the NATO summit is attracting hordes of protestors and the possibility of violence and chaos.

In related news, mayhem is coming to Wrigley Field, too. Alfonso Soriano and Adam Dunn sharing left field? I broke my UZR just thinking about it.

Kerry Wood, the provincial saint of lost causes, unwittingly coined the catchphrase for this weekend’s crosstown series when he snapped at a reporter after being asked about throwing his glove last week.

“Irrelevant, dude.” Two words that describe Chicago baseball in 2012.

Hey, it’s better than “It’s a Way of Life” or “Baseball is better” or “Appreciate the Game.” You know, the ones the Cubs and Sox actually use.

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Chicago White Sox slugger Adam Dunn seemed destined to play in Chicago at some point in his career, but not necessarily on the south side.

“(Former Cubs general manager) Jim Hendry and I had a great relationship,” Dunn said. “At some point I wanted to play in Chicago before my career ended, whether it would be here (Sox) or there (Cubs). I definitely wanted to play in this city. “

Hendry considered signing Dunn as a free agent but did not think the slow-footed outfielder could play right field. At the time the Cubs had Derrek Lee at first base and Alfonso Soriano in left field. Dunn signed with the Washington Nationals and the Cubs went the way of Milton Bradley in a decision that contributed to Hendry’s firing in 2011.

“I stayed out of talks between my agent and Jim,” Dunn said. “I stayed close with Jim and everything worked out for me.”

Hendry was pushed again to sign Dunn by his players after the 2010 season, but was already in the mode of paring down his payroll when the Sox signed him to a four-year, $56-million contract in December 2010.

Playing at Wrigley as the Sox left fielder will be exciting and challenging for the 32-year-old, who has not played the outfield since 2009. “The fans are right there with you and it’s fun when they come up with original stuff,” Dunn said. “They are right on top of you but they don’t get an acknowledgment if it isn’t original or funny.”

Dunn hasn’t really had a chance to grow on Sox fans due to his awful season in 2011, however he likes what both fan bases bring to the ballpark.

“At Wrigley each game is more like an event -- not really a party, but a happening every night,” Dunn said. “People go for before and after the game as much as the game itself. Sox fans come because they really enjoy baseball.”

Dunn leads all active opposing players in home runs at Wrigley with 25.

“I always see the ball well at Wrigley,” he said.

CHICAGO -- Despite the 3-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, the Chicago White Sox won the season series 4-2 and have won the last six series overall between the crosstown rivals.


How it happened: For the first time in four games, the White Sox were unable to put together a late Juan Pierre-led rally. Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez kept the White Sox off balance and Carlos Marmol closed out the victory. Mark Teahen had two hits and scored the lone White Sox run on a wild pitch. Gavin Floyd was solid, but gave up three runs in a span of three batters in the fourth inning.

What it means: The sweep would have been preferred, but the White Sox will take two out of three in a series every time if given the chance. Winning series this upcoming week will be even more important as the White Sox get back to division play with home series against the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. The White Sox’s six AL Central victories this season are the lowest number of division wins of anybody in baseball.

Outside the box: After failing to strike out a batter in his last start at Colorado, Floyd struck out eight in Sunday’s defeat, tied for his second highest total of the season.

What’s next: Left-hander Mark Buehrle (6-5, 3.65 ERA) takes on the Royals on Monday. He will be opposed by Kansas City left-hander Jeff Francis (3-9, 4.79) in the 6:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO -- With the Chicago White Sox playing on the North side this weekend, expectations were high that a much-maligned Sox player would get things going with the bat at The Friendly Confines. While the focus was on the struggling Adam Dunn potentially breaking out, it was another oft-criticized White Sox who stepped up.

For the third game in a row, and the second against the Cubs, Juan Pierre delivered the game’s key hit, driving in the only run in the Sox’s 1-0 victory. Pierre, known for more for scoring runs than knocking them in, said he’d never had a stretch like this before.

“Always good to be on the RBI end of it, I don’t drive in many runs,” Pierre said. “But when you get the chance to do it, especially a day like today with [Matt Garza] throwing like he was, it’s definitely a big situation.”

On Friday, Pierre tripled in two runs to give the White Sox a 6-4 lead they would never relinquish. It was more of the same on Saturday, as Pierre singled in Gordon Beckham in the sixth to tally the White Sox’s first run, and hit, of the day.

If you’re attempting to throw a no-hitter at Wrigley Field, Pierre is apparently not the man you want to face. On June 13, 2010, Pierre singled to lead off the ninth inning to end Ted Lilly's bid for a no-no.

“I’m familiar with this park, I played a full season here,” Pierre said about his success on the North side. “The situation [arises] to come through and help the team win, it’s just good for the team.”

Pierre’s .320 on-base percentage is hardly ideal for a leadoff hitter, but the fact that he’s crept up to the league average is progress.

As far as White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is concerned, all the talk that Pierre should be benched was never the right way to look at things. Pierzynski, never one to shy away from making a bold statement, has backed his teammate all the way.

“I told you guys [Friday], I’ll take him up there in a big situation over just about anybody on our team,” Pierzynski said. “That’s what JP can do, he puts the ball in play and makes things happen. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

For his part, Pierre has holds no ill-will towards those calling for him to be taken out of the lineup.

“It comes with the profession. I know when you don’t do the job, then stuff gets written about you,” Pierre said. “When you do the job, then you find something else to criticize.”

While the bulk of criticism of the Sox has been focused on Pierre and Dunn, Pierre may have temporarily removed himself as a target. Once again, Dunn went hitless in four at-bats, including three more strikeouts to bring his season total to an eye-popping 103. After that performance, Dunn clearly has a long way to go to get out of the crosshairs of the critics.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox clinched the season series over the Cubs with a 1-0 victory at Wrigley Field on Saturday, setting up a chance for a sweep.

How it happened: Juan Pierre did it again, driving in the winning run for the White Sox for the third consecutive day. On Friday, it was a go-ahead triple and on Thursday it was a go-ahead single off the wall in Colorado. Pierre’s RBI single on Saturday was the first hit off Cubs starter Matt Garza. White Sox starter Phil Humber delivered seven scoreless innings despite not being at his best. He got double-play grounders in each of the first three innings.

What it means: The maturation of Humber continues. He’s shown he can win with his good stuff and now he can apparently compete when he isn’t at his best. Humber was falling behind hitters early in Saturday’s game, but made the clutch pitch when he needed it to induce the double plays. His eight wins and 2.69 ERA seem worthy of an All-Star spot, but he’ll probably be squeezed off the roster.

Outside the box: After entering the game seventh in the AL among starters with a 2.76 ERA, Humber dropped that even further to 2.57.

What’s next: White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd (6-7, 4.19 ERA) will pitch in the finale of the season series on Sunday, while the Cubs will counter with right-hander Rodrigo Lopez (0-2, 5.40) in the 1:20 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.