White Sox catch Yankees at a really bad time

Well, that was fun.

The Yankees rolled into U.S. Cellular Field on Monday and didn’t leave until making sure the White Sox had been swept at home in a four-game series for the first time since August 2007, when the Red Sox won four straight.

“It’s tough,” said starting pitcher Phil Humber after New York won 7-2 Thursday night, outscoring the Sox 34-11 in the series.

“You definitely don’t want to lose a series much less get swept. You have to give those guys a lot of credit. They played the game better than we did.”

Humber pitched 6⅓ innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits. Over his last 4 starts, the right-hander is 0-4 with a 7.97 ERA.

“I felt good,” Humber said. “I felt like I made good pitches. Their whole lineup right now is hot. They’re playing the kind of baseball you have to play to win.”

The White Sox didn’t draw a walk in the series off Yankees pitching and now they head to Minnesota with a six-game losing streak.

“Thank God this thing is over with,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Hopefully we go to the road and turn this thing around and at least have some fun.

“We have to continue to fight. We don’t have any choices. We have to play better than what we’ve been playing. We caught this team when they were on fire, and I think we paid the price.”

Konerko returns:

Saying it felt like he was “hit by lightning” after being drilled on the side of the left knee by Boston starter Andrew Miller on Sunday, Paul Konerko returned to the White Sox’ lineup Thursday.

Following a three-game absence, Konerko was the DH and had 2 of the Sox’ 7 hits.

“Hitting-wise, I felt not bad,” Konerko said. “I felt maybe 80 or 90 percent. Definitely, for the most part, I could do what I wanted to do. I didn’t feel it too much up there, maybe on a couple foul tips, or a swing and miss or something like that, I felt it more. Pretty workable.

“Running killed. I don’t know. I would have thought it would be the other way around.”

As for being swept by New York, Konerko was blunt.

“We just got killed for four games,” he said. “We’re going to be in Minneapolis tonight late; we’re back on the field tomorrow.

“All I can say is you’ve got to regroup and get after it or it’s going to be one more loss tomorrow. You just try to keep pushing along and see if it will turn.”

Bombs away:

Adam Dunn hit a 421-foot home run Thursday night, but it came with two outs in the ninth inning.

“Personally, it felt good,” Dunn said. “But it meant nothing, had no impact on the game.”

Real deal?

With Alex Rios back on the bench Thursday, Alejandro De Aza started in center field.

Since coming up from Class AAA Charlotte last week, the left-handed hitting De Aza has only started against right-handed pitchers.

Can he play every day?

“In the big leagues? I don’t know,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Why? Because I’ve never see him play every day. The minor leagues, be realistic, and nothing against De Aza.

“In the minor leagues you only face one good, two good pitchers a week.”