Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas City’s victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday could have seemed like a fluke. A last-place team’s going to pull an upset against a first-place team on occasion, right?

Two in a row? Maybe these Royals haven’t given up just yet.

Billy Butler drove in two runs, Kansas City’s bullpen pitched 41/3 scoreless innings, and the Royals ended the first-place Detroit Tigers’ six-game winning streak with a 7-5 victory Tuesday night.

“I don’t think we’ve quit at all,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “I still see effort, I still see energy. Guys get depressed a little bit when you’ve lost as many games as we’ve lost, but for me — without overstating it — it takes a heck of lot of character to continue to come back against a first-place club.”

That’s consecutive wins for the first time since July 27-28 at Baltimore, against two first-place teams, no less.

It’s not just that the Royals did it. It’s how they did it.

The offense, mired in a seemingly never-ending slump, produced 11 hits and went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Butler had a double and a run-scoring single off Bobby Seay (5-3) in the seventh, and Mike Jacobs had a rare opposite-field hit to drive in another run.

And the bullpen — wow.

Royals relievers came through for the second straight game, picking up after Bruce Chen’s wobbly start.

Yasuhiko Yabuta (1-1) allowed two hits in 21/3 innings for his second career victory.