MILWAUKEE -- After being outplayed by Miami in the first two games of the series, the Brewers found a way to turn the page in their 5-1 victory over the Marlins on Thursday afternoon at Miller Park and head into the weekend series against Pittsburgh on a high note.

“You can’t really change what happened before. It’s over and done with,” right fielder Christian Yelich said. “It’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen again at some point this year, unfortunately. You gotta find a way to turn the momentum and get something positive early and go back to playing our game.”

• Box score

The Brewers had been outscored 24-3 in the series heading into the finale, and they came into the first inning Thursday like they had something to prove. With a sound approach and a plan of attack, Milwaukee hitters jumped on starter Caleb Smith, who until this start had given up four earned runs just once this season.

Lorenzo Cain walked before Yelich crushed his Major League-leading 23rd home run of the season to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. Not to be outdone, Mike Moustakas followed two batters later with a solo shot, his first of two homers on the day, giving him 18 dingers on the year.

“Lorenzo had some really nice at-bats, none bigger than the first one,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Got behind in the count, battled back, fouled off a couple of pitches and then gets on-base. It’s the kind of at-bat that gets Yelich a first-pitch grooved fastball.”

After a banner year last season, Cain’s offensive numbers have taken a sharp decline in 2019. His .695 OPS is his lowest since 2013, and he’s had a few nagging injuries. Cain exited in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 8-3 loss with a jammed right thumb, after aggravating his quad in the first inning.

But Cain vowed that he’d be in the lineup Thursday and he claimed that he needed to get things going for the Brewers to score some runs. Both were true, as the Brewers’ catalyst went 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored.

“Just doing what I did all of last year: consistent at-bats, making the pitcher work. That’s what I want to do every at-bat,” Cain said. “I haven’t been as consistent doing that this year. If I can get back to doing it consistently, that’s when we’re going to get on a roll.”

When asked about how his thumb felt, Cain wasn’t looking for sympathy.

“Not great, but it’s hard to keep me out of that lineup. If I’m not playing, you know I must be really hurting,” he said with a chuckle.

Peralta finds his groove

After three appearances out of the bullpen, Freddy Peralta returned to the rotation Thursday and also contributed to the Brewers wiping the slate clean. After clunkers from Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson, Peralta not only ate valuable innings, but dominated Miami hitters.

In his first start since May 13, Peralta held the Marlins to just one earned run on four hits. His fastball averaged 94 mph, two ticks more than his average fastball for the season, according to Statcast.

“I really don’t think about the speed. Just being aggressive,” Peralta said, after picking up his third win of the season. “I know my fastball is uncomfortable when I hit the right spots.”

“He threw a lot of strikes and got through the first inning, which has kind of been a struggle for him,” Counsell said. “He got through the first easy and then the strikeouts started coming.”

The right-hander struck out nine over his six innings of work and did not walk a batter. If Peralta continues to throw like he did Thursday, he could make a case to stay in the rotation long-term.

Worth noting

Yelich finished the day going 3-for-4 with a homer and a stolen base. He’s now hitting .385 (15-for-39) with two homers against his former team.