MINNEAPOLIS -- When Paul Konerko takes his swings Friday night, everything will be just fine.
When he does anything else, including walking to and from the plate, he will be in considerable pain.
Konerko was back in the lineup for the second consecutive game after getting hit in his left knee by a pitch Sunday against the Red Sox.
He was in the lineup as the designated hitter, though, and might not use his first base glove again until the White Sox head to Baltimore next week.
“Hitting-wise there is a little bit of discomfort, but it’s not stopping me from doing what I want to do,” Konerko said. “It doesn’t bother me, and it doesn’t make me take a different swing than I want to take in a game so for me that’s good. After that it hurts like hell.”
Running hurts Konerko the most, but he admitted that he hasn’t been much of a runner anyway.
“Hopefully on the bases it can’t be exploited too much,” he said. “There’s not much there normally so there is a lot less now. Hopefully I can sneak by.”
He doesn’t have much lateral movement either, which is why Adam Dunn has played on the infield for each of the past five games. Dunn’s defense proved costly in a game against the Yankees, and in the first inning Friday he let one get through his legs off the bat of Twins leadoff man Ben Revere.
“Konerko’s a brave man, bro,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “He’s sore, very sore. I’m just happy to have him in the lineup because if you see him walk around …”
The decision to play, though, has been all Konerko’s. Guillen has had second thoughts, but his captain wants to be in there.
“When he hit that first ground ball [Thursday], I felt guilty because good managers don’t play players like that,” Guillen said. “I said, ‘Wow, should I be playing this kid because we’re playing New York or we’re playing bad? Or that we’re playing at home?’ Everything went through my mind that first at-bat, and I went back and asked him.
“He’s not going to lose any speed anyway, but I was guilty of seeing this kid running the bases. He could barely put his foot down, but he said he’s fine. He said he’s fine [and] he’s playing.’’
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