ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Logan Henderson pitched into the sixth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers used a four-run third inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4 on Thursday night at Busch Stadium III, taking the lead in the four-game series.

The Brewers improved to 59-34, the best record in the National League. The Cardinals dropped to 48-44, remaining in the middle of the wild-card chase. Milwaukee won for the fourth time in its last five games against St. Louis, including the previous two games of this set.

Henderson, a rookie right-hander, allowed three runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking two. He threw 82 pitches, 52 for strikes, and earned his third win against one loss. The only damage against him came on Jordan Walker’s three-run home run in the sixth inning that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 6-4.

Andre Pallante started for St. Louis and lasted three innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out one, dropping to 10-6.

Milwaukee jumped ahead in the second inning. Jake Bauers singled with one out and went to third on Andrew Vaughn’s fielder’s choice. Sal Frelick singled to center, scoring Bauers. Cooper Pratt then singled to center, plating Vaughn and giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers broke the game open in the third. Garrett Mitchell singled and Jackson Chourio singled to put runners at first and second. Brice Turang singled to right, scoring Mitchell, and Chourio moved to third. After William Contreras grounded out, Bauers hit a line-drive home run to right field, his 17th of the season, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 6-0.

Bauers finished 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs. Turang went 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs, including a solo shot in the seventh inning that answered St. Louis’s rally.

The Cardinals got on the board in the fourth. Alec Burleson doubled with one out and scored on Lars Nootbaar’s single to center, making it 6-1.

In the sixth, St. Louis mounted its biggest threat of the night. JJ Wetherholt was hit by a pitch to lead off. Iván Herrera struck out, but Burleson walked to put two on. Walker then launched a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his 22nd home run, scoring Wetherholt and Burleson and bringing the Cardinals within 6-4. The crowd of 27,028 erupted, but Henderson was lifted after the home run.

Chad Patrick entered and struck out Nootbaar, then got Masyn Winn to fly out, ending the inning.

Milwaukee responded immediately in the seventh. Turang led off with a solo home run to center field, his 13th of the season, pushing the lead back to 7-4.

The Brewers added an insurance run in the ninth. Chourio doubled to lead off, moved to third on Turang’s flyout to left, and scored on Contreras’s sacrifice fly to right.

Patrick pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts. Aaron Ashby pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit and striking out one. Abner Uribe pitched a perfect eighth, and Ashby returned for the ninth and recorded the final three outs, allowing a walk and a single but stranding two runners.

Gordon Graceffo pitched two scoreless innings for St. Louis, striking out four while allowing no hits. Matt Svanson allowed one run on one hit in the eighth, and Luis Gastelum allowed one run on two hits in the ninth.

The Brewers out-hit the Cardinals 11-5. Milwaukee’s 11 hits included two each from Mitchell, Chourio, Turang, Bauers, Frelick and Pratt. St. Louis got two hits from Wetherholt and one each from Burleson, Nootbaar and Walker. The Brewers left six runners on base, the Cardinals left seven.

Defensively, Milwaukee turned two double plays. The Cardinals turned one.

Attendance was announced at 27,028. The game lasted 2 hours, 52 minutes.

The Cardinals challenged a called third strike to Herrera in the fourth, and the call on the field was confirmed. In the seventh, St. Louis challenged a pitch result against Bauers, and the call was overturned, resulting in a strikeout.

Milwaukee travels to Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting Friday. St. Louis hosts Atlanta for a three-game series beginning Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Milwaukee 7, St. Louis 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Milwaukee a 60.40 percent probability to win. The Brewers were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total of 12 runs went under the over/under line of 8.5.