In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Carey Price is back at practice with the Montreal Canadiens in advance of their series against the Penguins. The Pirates have a plan for their crowded middle infield. And Terry Francona is speaking out about the Cleveland Indians nickname.

Bonjour!

Carey Price joined the Montreal Canadiens for workouts Monday.

As you can imagine, the team is quite happy about that.

QUI EST-CE?

GUESS WHO.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/p7X50zY2JI

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 6, 2020

The Penguins and Canadiens will square off in a best-of-five series to begin the NHL’s rebooted season. Montreal’s star goalie is believed to be the biggest hurdle between the Penguins and advancing out of the play-in round.

But Price had remained in Kennewick, Wash. during the start of the league’s workouts at designated team facilities.

NHL.com reports that Price returned to Montreal on June 29. And according to the site, he sounds confident in his club’s chances of pulling off an upset.

“I think that our preparation over the next month will be paramount,” Price said back on June 25. “It’s the old adage, ‘Anything can happen.’ I know we’re a pretty underrated team. We’re a very streaky team. We have proven that we can get really hot, and that’s what it’s all about in the playoffs.”

For as good as Price is, his numbers against the Penguins aren’t overwhelming. During his career, Price is 13-14-5 against the Pens. His save percentage is .907. And his goals-against average is 2.95. The Washington Capitals are the only other opponent (9-15-5/.894/3.27) in the East that have put up better numbers against him.

This year, Price is 1-1-1 against the Pens, allowing seven goals on 98 shots (.929/2.32).

‘Stuck in the middle with … who?’

One of the few areas where it appears the Pirates have some depth entering the 2020 season is at the middle infield positions.

Kevin Newman, Adam Frazier, Cole Tucker, Erik Gonzalez, Phillip Evans and JT Riddle are all candidates for playing time at shortstop or second base.

But on Monday, new Pirates manager Derek Shelton made his plans clear.

“There’s a good group that we have there with different skill sets,” Shelton said. “But I would say the majority of the time you will see Frazier and Newman in the middle of the field.”

That’s likely with Newman playing shortstop and Frazier playing second base. Shelton said one angle that may get the other players more playing time is if Newman or Frazier get some at bats as the designated hitter.

“That’s something I’m not really worried about,” Frazier said. “I’ll just be ready to play every day. Shelton will take care of all that. If they want to play some matchups, they’ll be able to. Especially with the DH. If they want to get somebody’s bat in the lineup, that matchup will be there.”

The Pirates open the season on July 24 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Francona ready for change

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona isn’t opposed to the idea of the club changing its nickname.

The Beaver County native was asked about that prospect on a conference call Sunday.

“I know in the past, when I’ve been asked about it, whether it’s our name or the Chief Wahoo (logo), I think I would usually answer and say I know that we’re never trying to be disrespectful,” Francona said. “And I still feel that way. But I don’t think that’s a good enough answer today.

“I think it’s time to move forward and not just say — it’s a very difficult subject.”

The topic of changing the Indians name came up recently in conjunction with the NFL’s Washington Redskins likely changing their name as well.

Pompano plans

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is planning to move forward with his “Funday with LJ” event that he is holding in Pompano Beach, Fla.

It’s a 7-on-7 football game, mixed in with a bunch of other kids’ activities, scheduled for July 11-12.

This despite a rise in recent covid-19 numbers.

But Pro Football Talk thinks that’s a bad idea. “It’s questionable, to say the least, for any NFL player to proceed with something like this during a pandemic. Especially in Florida,” Mike Florio writes.

Jackson is requiring a waiver and that adults wear masks. Also, there will be no autographs. But it’s unclear if the Ravens are onboard with this idea given the social distancing measures many are endorsing in an attempt to reverse the spike.

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