Lawrence Butler News: Slugs homer in defeat

Butler went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, an additional run, a double and three walks in Monday's loss to the Twins.

Minnesota jumped out to a six-run lead through two innings, but Butler made a game of it when he launched a three-run blast off Joe Ryan in the fourth inning. The outfielder rounded out a big performance by reaching base in all five of his plate appearances and finished with his third multi-hit effort over his past four games. Butler was batting a paltry .224 through May 16, but he's lifted his average to .260 with a 15-game surge during which he's batted .368 with three homers, 11 RBI, 12 runs and three stolen bases.