Braves' opponent: San Diego Padres
Keep an eye on: Craig Kimbrel. How can you not? The former Braves closer who was traded the day before opening day makes his return to Turner Field, and he's sitting on 199 career saves. His 200th save could come against the team that drafted him in the third round in 2008 and nurtured him into a four-time All-Star. He's set to become the youngest ever to reach 200 career saves. Kimbrel got No. 199 in his 317th career game. Jonathan Papelbon was the quickest to 200 saves in 359 games.
Who's hot: Former Brave Justin Upton was leading the Padres in batting average (.297), home runs (12), RBIs (37), on-base percentage (.368) and hits (62).
Who's not: Yangervis Solarte is 0-for-9 in June after hitting just .231 (25-for-108) in May.
Braves connection: Next to Kimbrel, Justin Upton's return should generate plenty of excitement. The former Braves left fielder is coming in hot too, having hit .329 (27-for-82) with four home runs and 13 RBIs in his past 23 games. He hit .343 in the month of May, and his 37 hits were the most in May in Padres history since the late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn had 46 hits in May of 1997.
In the news: As fate would have it, Melvin Upton – formerly known as B.J. - is set to come off the disabled list Monday when the Padres open a four-game set against his former team. Upton has been out since spring training when the Braves diagnosed him with a foot condition called sesamoiditis. Upton hit .198 in his two seasons with the Braves after signing a five-year $75 million contract.
