Royals manager Mike Matheny has been suggesting for weeks that there is another higher level of pitching inside rookie left-hander Kris Bubic.

Kansas City fans certainly got a glimpse of that Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Bubic allowed just one hit and one unearned run through 5 1/3 innings in the Royals’ 5-0 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park.

• Box score

“His best yet,” Matheny said. “It’s one of those indicators of things to come in my mind. No question the best breaking ball he’s had so far. It had late break, it had bite. And that made his changeup all the more better because they had to worry about two other weapons.”

Bubic walked four but struck out seven. The only hit off him was a clean single to left by Jedd Gyorko with one out in the fourth inning on a 2-2 changeup.

• Is Mondesi a 70-80 steals guy? An MVP?

Bubic wasn’t sure it was his best outing yet but said it was close.

“I’d say it’s up there,” Bubic said. “It’s the best curveball command I’ve had so far. We went to it early and that helped.

“I scattered four walks, and that’s not what you want. But some of that was just not finishing guys off.”

And the only run off Bubic was tainted -- the Brewers didn’t even get the ball out of the infield. After two one-out walks in the third, Bubic got Avisaíl García to roll a grounder near second base that seemed a certain double play.

Second baseman Nicky Lopez fielded the grounder and was ready to run a few steps to the bag for the forceout before firing to first. But a communication breakdown between shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and Lopez led to a collision at the bag. Lopez got the force out but getting tangled up with Mondesi forced a wild throw past first baseman Hunter Dozier.

Instead of an inning-ending double play, the Brewers got a run as Luis Arias rounded third on the error and scored.

“Either one could have made the play,” Matheny said. “Mondi had the momentum toward first, but Nicky has plenty of arm strength to get that throw done running across the bag. Just have to be more vocal.”

The difference for Bubic on Saturday from previous starts was aggressiveness and command early in the count. Bubic threw 65 percent first-pitch strikes -- he came into the game at 47.8.

“I was definitely more aggressive,” he said.

Bubic had command of his four-seamer, getting 18 called strikes or whiffs out of 50 tries. That set up his dangerous changeup, which got two swinging strikeouts and three other putouts.

Bubic also had excellent control of his curve, adding yet another weapon to his arsenal. He got two of his seven strikeouts on swings off curveballs.

Meanwhile, the Royals had few answers against Milwaukee's pitching. Brewers starter Corbin Burnes tossed six shutout innings, allowing four singles and no walks while striking out nine.

“Pretty good stuff,” Matheny said of Burnes. “Life on the fastball, had some deception, ran that cutter backdoor on lefties and got righties to chase. You don’t see many guys in the league who can spin the ball three different ways and with that velocity. He was a handful.”

The Royals had one good chance against Burnes. Dozier led off the second with a single to left and went to second on Burnes’ errant pickoff attempt. But Dozier was stranded there as Alex Gordon struck out, Maikel Franco grounded out and Ryan O'Hearn struck out.