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KANSAS CITY — Just as a ground ball could have ended the top half of sixth inning as the Cardinals put runners on base and the middle of their order loomed, a fielding error by Royals second baseman Jonathan India provided a chance for the Cardinals to widen their one-run lead.

A double by Ivan Herrera and a single from Pedro Pages capitalized on the opportunity.

After India misplayed a ground ball from Willson Contreras, leading the bases to become loaded, Herrera drove in three runs with a double to center field that came off his bat at 110.2 mph, per Statcast. Behind him, Pages singled to push across an additional run that capped a four-run frame in the Cardinals’ 10-3 win over the Royals Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Jordan Walker tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning on a single that plated Herrera.

The four-run inning and Walker’s insurance run provided enough of a cushion for Cardinals starter Andre Pallante to earn his second consecutive winning decision.

Coming off a seven-inning outing against the Nationals, Pallante tossed seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits against Kansas City. Pallante kept the Royals scoreless through three innings before allowing a 448-foot home run to Vinnie Pasquantino to leadoff the fourth inning. Pallante surrendered a second run in the fifth inning on a balk that allowed Kyle Isbel, who tripled, to advance and cross home plate.

Thirteen of the 21 outs Pallante recorded were groundouts. Four were strikeouts. The quality start was Pallante’s fourth of the season.

Royals starter Cole Ragans completed five innings before leaving the game with a Royals team trainer with a runner on first base and no outs in the sixth inning. Ragans was replaced by John Schreiber, who allowed the base runner he inherited from to score. A Royals official said Ragans left the game with left groin tightness.

KC’s costly error

With runners on first and second and one out in the sixth inning, India’s attempt to field and flip Contreras’s chopping ground ball was mishandled and dropped on the infield dirt. India recovered the ball and flipped to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who covered second base. The flip to the bag to try and prevent Brendan Donovan from advancing was originally called an out, but the Cardinals successfully challenged the play to set up Herrera to bat with the bases loaded after the Royals mishandled a double play opportunity that could have helped them escape the inning down just one run.

Herrera, who singled in a run in the fourth inning and collected a second double in the eighth inning, fouled off a 1-2 sweeper from Schreiber to keep hit at-bat alive in the sixth. The 24-year-old slugger pounced on the very next pitch, a sweeper that caught the middle of the strike zone, to plate three-RBIs.

The four RBIs were Herrera’s most in a game since he plated six runs during a three-home run performance on April 4. Through six games since he’s been activated from the IL with a left knee injury, Herrera has eight hits in 19 at-bats. Five of those eight hits have come as extra-bases hits.

Pallante balks in a run

After delivering a pitch to Witt with one out in the fifth inning, Pallante was charged with a balk that brought Isbel in to score as the Royals’ second run on Friday evening.

It was unclear the reason Pallante was charged with a balk.

During his encounter with Witt as Isbel was on third base, Pallante worked from the windup rather than the stretch. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, second baseman Brendan Donovan, third baseman Nolan Arenado, and manager Oliver Marmol each spoke with members of Friday’s umpire crew after the balk was called.

Arenado misses the bag

The Cardinals had a run wiped away from them at the end of the seventh inning after Arenado did not touch the first base bag on what would have been a two-out RBI double that would have scored Masyn Winn from second base.

Arenado lined a 2-2 sinker from Angel Zerpa to left-center field and reached second base for what would have been a stand up double.

Once the play ended, the Royals threw to down to first base for the appeal and Arenado was called out. A replay showed Arenado missed touching first base as he rounded the bag and headed for second.

Because the line drive did not lead to hit and the out ended the inning, the run that would have been the Cardinals’ eighth of the night before Walker’s RBI single was taken back.

Contreras continues streaking

A double to right field in the second inning pushed Contreras’s on-base streak to 27 consecutive games. He added a second double to his Friday night in the fourth inning on a fly ball that sailed over center fielder Kyle Isbel’s head.

Contreras’s streak is the longest active on-base streak in the majors and is the longest of his career. Previously, Contreras had a 26-game on-base streak that stretched from Sept. 6, 2023 to April 21, 2024. Contreras entered Friday slashing .341/.445/.549.