Astros Weekend in Review: All the baseball news and notes while you were out

Did you know stuff went on with the Astros this weekend? Despite the holiday, the news still rolled in. Here's a quick refresher on what you might have missed while you celebrated your various holidays.

Exhibitionists

The Astros played a pair of fake games against the Kansas City Royals this weekend. They lost both of them, but neither game counted, so let's assume they didn't "lose" at all. Can you really lose at playing pretend?

At any rate, the Royals bombed the bullpen on Friday. Then, the Astros bats went silent on Saturday, as a bunch of prospects played most of the game.

Predictions

The TCB staff has some guesses on what will happen this season. A couple picked the Astros to get to the World Series. We've also got Rookie of the Year picks that might surprise you, along with some Astros award winner talk. Check it all out here, plus a nifty infographic.

News and notes

The Astros will be moving to a six-man rotation in Triple-A. That's significant, because for the last couple of years, the Astros have used the tandem starter system at every level. This year, they're modifying things earlier than they have before.

Jandal Gustave, a Rule 5 draft pick from the Astros farm system last winter, was returned to the club over the weekend. He was picked by the Red Sox, traded to the Royals and picked up off waivers by the Padres before being offered back to the Astros. He'll report to Double-A Corpus Christi.

To create roster room for either of the two non-roster invitees who made Opening Day, the Astros designated Alex White for assignment. Picked up in the Wilton Lopez trade oh so long ago, White had a series of injuries derail his time in Houston. He was in line to pitch in the big leagues a few times, but never broke through.

Finally, former Astros pitcher Jarred Cosart was cleared of any suspicion of betting on baseball. He was fined an undisclosed amount for betting illegally on other sports. He also apologized for his behavior and will not get back on Twitter.