In NL park, Royals slugger Billy Butler prepares for role as a pinch hitter

SAN FRANCISCO — Billy Butler stood in front of his locker Thursday afternoon, smiling and talking about his very abrupt role-change in the World Series. His two singles and two RBIs keyed the Kansas City Royals' Game 2 victory , but now he'll wait his turn as a pinch hitter when the series shifts to the Giants' home turf for three games starting Friday. It's something that comes up every year in the World Series — the American League team is forced to find a new role for its designated hitter. For the Royals, a mostly small-ball team, there's reason to worry about what will happen to their offense when Butler is confined to just one at-bat per game at most. But the team is putting a positive spin on it, mostly because it has no other choice. "It's basically what I do four times a day anyway," Butler said, showing the easy-going sensibility that comes with a nickname like Country Breakfast. "When you're pinch hitting, you have to wait until the next day to hit again instead of the next hour."