Adrian Gonzalez is one of the most cerebral players this side of San Diego. The Red Sox first baseman will dive into most anything, unwinding topics with academic precision.

But not this three-game series that starts Monday. The Padres visit Fenway Park on Monday night, and for Gonzalez, the Friars aren't only the club that the 28-year-old first baseman spent the last five years with, during which time he established himself as a star. They're the team he grew up with in San Diego and neighboring Chula Vista, Calif.

Perhaps counterintuitively, Gonzalez's message to reporters after a 12-3 Sox win against the Brewers on Sunday was that the next day would be business as usual.Gonzalez collected career hits Nos. 1,000 and 1,001 on Sunday. Of those, 856 came with the Padres.

"I'm keeping a count of how many times that's going to be asked -- that's No. 1 right there," Gonzalez said of how he would approach things. "It's another series. I got a lot of friends on a lot of teams."

Gonzalez, who hit 161 home runs and .288 from 2006 to '10 with the Padres, isn't in a unique position. Plenty of players have switched teams, and Carl Crawford, who is just beginning seven-year deal with the Sox, went through a similar experience with the Rays this year.

Different for Crawford, though, is that he faced his old teammates in Spring Training and sees them constantly throughout the year because of division play. The Padres train in Arizona, while the Red Sox are in Florida, and the two likely won't see each other in the regular season for a couple years.

"He's probably going to be happy to see some of the old teammates," said Crawford, who was a bit more open about his own experience facing the Rays. "I'm pretty sure he's probably excited about tomorrow."

"I'm sure he'll be excited," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "They're his friends. You always want to do good -- it's human nature. You want to see your guys and then do good. I'm too busy doing other stuff to worry about him writing love letters to his old teammates."

The Red Sox (43-28) have done just as they expected to with Gonzalez on board, if not better. They're leading the American League East by 1 1/2 games entering Monday, and their offense is mashing, outscoring opponents 114 to 53 in 15 games since June 3.

Gonzalez's .348 average leads the Majors.

When Boston traded for Gonzalez after negotiations with San Diego nearly broke down in December over a contract extension, Gonzalez said his favorite team in the National League was, of course, the Padres. But he also mentioned that his favorite team in the AL was the Sox, and Padres closer and close friend Heath Bell can appreciate what it means that Gonzalez is on a different team -- but one he wants to be on.

"I know I'll be pretty happy to see him. It's going to be like going to see an old buddy," Bell said. "I'm really happy for him. I know he's in the right place. I know that he's wanted to play for the Red Sox for a long time. I'm excited to face him and I'm sure he's excited to face me. And I'm sure he wants to beat me as much as I want to beat him."

Boston has won five straight series heading into Monday. Meanwhile, the Padres (30-43), who came so close to the playoffs last season and determined they couldn't afford Gonzalez going forward, are in last place and on a five-game losing streak. Anthony Rizzo, a top first-base prospect the Padres received as part of the trade, is in the Majors at 21 years old, but he's played just 10 games there, and that shows in his numbers.

"I think after Spring Training, not having [Gonzalez] there for the first time, that was kind of the wake-up call that he wasn't here anymore," said Padres outfielder Will Venable, who had never known a San Diego clubhouse without Gonzalez in it before this year. "It was like the transition had already taken place.

"Now, seeing him on TV and talking to him, I know that he's doing well. Throw him in that lineup with those guys, and I think he's doing what everyone expected him to do. It even seems like he's exceeding expectations over there."

Gonzalez planned to get breakfast or lunch with some old teammates on Monday. They arrived too late Sunday, he said, to do anything.

Toying a bit, Gonzalez said the series would be different for him if it were at PETCO Park in San Diego; not because it would necessarily tug at his heart strings more, but because he would sleeping at home.

Gonzalez was asked if he expected the series to feel different once it begins, even if he doesn't approach it differently.

"Why would it?" he said.

He was told why.

"It's another game," he said.