Jupiter, Fla. — Miami Marlins $325 million man Giancarlo Stanton homered in his first at-bat Thursday off Adam Wainwright and tacked on an RBI double in the third as the fish defeated the redbirds 5-3 at Rodger Dean Stadium on Thursday.

After Stanton’s mammoth blast in the top of the first, outfielder Jason Heyward responded with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the inning for his first extra-base hit of Grapefruit League play.

Neither Wainwright or opposing starter Henderson Alvarez made it through four innings, and most of the starters for both teams were lifted after an almost hour long rain delay. Although he allowed six Marlins hits over his 3 2/3 innings of work, Wainwright threw extra pitches in the covered cages (Cardinals.com) at Rodger Dean Stadium to compensate for his rain-shortened start. It was then where he established command of his fastball and changeup, his two main goals for the day.

Miami starter Henderson Alvarez, who’s expected to be the club’s Opening Day starter, existed after 43 pitches over just three innings due to the delay, but he too threw extra pitches in the covered cages.

FINAL: Marlins 5, Cardinals 3 — W-Alvarez, L-Wainwright, SV-Kinley — Alvarez 3 IP w/2 ER, Wainwright 3.2 IP w/4 ER & 2 Ks — HR- Heyward, Stanton (2 RBI)

NEXT: The Cardinals have a pair of split-squad games on the schedule for Friday. Carlos Martinez will make the start on the road against the Nationals while John Lackey will get the call at home against the Mets. Lackey will be making just his third start of the spring, while Martinez will be making his fifth in his bid to make the fifth spot in the rotation. Mike Matheny will be traveling to manage the away game in Viera, Fla, and bench coach David Bell will be in charge of the home game against the Mets. The home game will air on Fox Sports Midwest, and I’ll be live at that game at Rodger Dean Stadium.

**QUICK NOTES:

• Matt Carpenter returned to the lineup Thursday a day after existing early after a Max Scherzer pitch hit him in the leg. He was removed for precautionary reasons and should be fine moving forward.
• From Cardinals.com (Jenifer Langosch): “Cardinals utilityman Pete Kozma entered the day leading all National League hitters with a .452 spring average. He went 1-for-2 and has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games. Kozma’s second stolen base of the spring helped generate the team’s third run.”