When Chris Carter picked up George Springer’s 34-inch bat, the 23-year-old prospect delivered a reassuring message to the 26-year-old slugger attempting to win the left-field position. “It’s got a lot of hits in it,” Springer said, referring to the wood in Carter’s hands. It also had a home run. Carter broke out of an early spring slump, hitting a two-run homer off St. Louis reliever Jason Motte’s 3-2 pitch. The shot helped push the Astros (4-2-2) to an 8-8 tie. Carter had entered Friday 1-for-10 and received a text from his brother after his first at-bat telling him not to press. A follow-up text awaited Carter after he crossed home [...]