KANSAS CITY -- Royals rookie left-hander Kris Bubic had an interesting outing on Friday filled with plenty of traffic on the bases but also plenty of quality pitches when he needed them.

Bubic went five innings and gave up six hits and one run while walking two and striking out six, and the Royals won their fourth straight game with a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh at Kauffman Stadium. Bubic got his first big league victory in his eighth start.

“It’s obviously pretty fun to get in the win column,” Bubic said. “But it was a team effort, getting the early runs. Without that this doesn’t happen. Definitely glad to enjoy it a little bit. Glad to see us get on a roll.”

• Box score

The damage could have been much worse for Bubic, who did not have a 1-2-3 inning. In the second inning, a walk to Colin Moran and a single by Josh Bell put Pirates runners on the corners with none out. Bubic calmly struck out the next three hitters, all on elevated four-seamers, and the Pirates walked away empty-handed.

“You always have those guys that can turn it up another notch,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “He did a great job of getting the swing and miss. Really happy for him that we got enough runs for him to get a win.”

But Bubic said the high fastballs weren’t necessarily deliberate.

“Through innings two through four, [I had] the worst fastball command I’ve had all year,” he said. “I’m just being honest. A lot of times we are trying to elevate on certain guys, but when I’m pumping fastballs lower in the zone, the changeup and curveball are better. But I’m glad to be resilient and give our team a chance and grind through those innings.”

A similar jam started the fourth. Moran singled and Bell pushed him to third with a single. This time, though, Jacob Stallings seared an RBI double to left to put the Pirates on the board. Still, once again, Bubic made some good pitches to shut matters down there. Elevated fastballs got Adam Frazier to ground out and Cole Tucker to strike out. Erik González flew out, ending the rally.

"I think that he used his offspeed really well,” Bell said. “It made his fastball play a tick up at times. I think that he has a plus changeup that he uses whenever he gets in trouble, and it makes you hesitate just enough to get off the fastball. I was able to sneak a couple hits into the right side. He definitely kept us on our toes in regards to just throwing his offspeed for strikes.”

But Bubic’s escape acts inflated his pitch count. And after 92 pitches and with a 3-1 lead, Bubic was taken out by Matheny.

Meanwhile, Adalberto Mondesi continued his hot streak, belting a solo homer in the first, a shot that traveled an estimated 418 feet to left. Mondesi now has an eight-game hitting streak; he has three homers in that span.

Mondesi walked twice as well, stole two bases and scored three runs.

“Taking tough pitches, getting two walks and then he does what he does so well,” Matheny said. “It’s fun to watch when he gets going. First time I’ve been able to see him clicking on all cylinders. What a display of his ability.”

The Royals scratched across two runs in the third on an RBI single by Maikel Franco and a wild pitch that scored Salvador Perez, who had two hits in his return from the injured list. Franco also singled in a run in the seventh.

“We talk all the time about doing the little things,” Matheny said. “And you saw it from Franco there -- getting the ball in play the first time to pressure the defense, and then choking up the second time and punching it through the right side.”