MILWAUKEE -- Adam Wainwright looked like vintage Adam Wainwright again Friday night, striking out a season-high nine batters over five innings in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Wainwright had been off to one of the slowest starts of his career, posting an 0-3 record and 7.24 ERA through his first three outings of 2017. But he found his form against the Brewers, allowing just a pair of runs on six hits without a walk to win for the first time this season.

"Everything just looked sharp," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "You saw different swings on the breaking ball. The cutter looked good. But I think it was a situation where he was locating that fastball. I think that's going to be very important for him. And he had good life on it, too. It was a good outing. I would like it to be a little more efficient, as I'm sure he would, too. Being able to stay out there a little longer."

He even chipped in on offense, belting a two-run home run and finishing with a career-high four RBIs as the Cardinals pounded out 12 hits and won for the fourth time in five games.

Brewers starter Wily Peralta (3-1) lasted only four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and an intentional walk while failing to strike out a single batter for the first time in 20 starts.

"He had a bad night," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

Peralta helped out on offense, putting the Brewers on the board with an RBI single in the second, but Wainwright wiped away the deficit with a one-out, two-run home run in the third.

"I crushed it," Wainwright said, with a chuckle. "It felt good. We needed that. Wily has been pitching good this year. He came in 3-0. Low ERA. We needed that. From a lineup standpoint, if a pitcher can do anything positive to influence the game, that's great. I was proud of it."

St. Louis tacked on three runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Randal Grichuk and a bases-loaded single by Wainwright that plated a pair.

Kolten Wong made it a 6-1 game when he scored from third on a sacrifice fly to left by Dexter Fowler. Ryan Braun's throw beat Wong to the plate, which would have given Peralta an inning-ending double play, but a review revealed that catcher Manny Pina never applied a tag to Wong.

"Kolten did an amazing athletic move to get to the plate," Matheny said.

Peralta got out of the inning on a flyout to right by Aledmys Diaz, bringing his day to an end.

"Other than (Wainwright), I thought I threw the ball good," Peralta said. "I gave up a couple of singles but he's the one who hit the ball hard. Four RBIs of the six runs I gave up. If I get him out, I probably pitch better."

Milwaukee added a run in the fourth on Orlando Arcia's run-scoring double, and Braun hit his sixth home run of the season in the eighth, making it a 6-3 game and extending the Brewers' streak of games with a home run to 13.

Seung Hwan Oh worked around a two-out Jonathan Villar single in the ninth for his third save.

NOTES: Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had planned to give OF Stephen Piscotty a day off Friday, but he took over in CF when Dexter Fowler had to leave the game with right heel bursitis. ... The Brewers recalled LHP Brent Suter from Triple-A Colorado Springs Thursday to provide some additional coverage in the bullpen. To make room for Suter on the roster, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis was designated for assignment. Nieuwenhuis, 29, had just two hits and four walks in 30 plate appearances this season while playing off the bench. He appeared in 125 games a year ago and batted .209 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs but had a .290 mark with 11 homers and 31 RBIs at Miller Park. ... Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell announced that RHP Matt Garza would make his 2017 debut Monday against the Reds. Garza began the season on the disabled list with a strained groin. He'll take the place of LHP Tommy Milone, who moved into the rotation when Opening Day starter Junior Guerra suffered a calf injury after just three innings of work. Milone will now work out of the bullpen.