Among his new teammates, Cishek already knew Logan Morrison, Dan Jennings and Adeiny Hechavarria from his days with the Marlins, but for the most part, he had to do his homework.
"Last night I was going over backgrounds," Cishek said. "[Jim] Hickey, especially since he's the pitching coach. I know he's from Chicago. He's been here 11 years now. I did some homework, just to try and get to know some of the guys.
"I like to come prepared. Because I care a lot. I want to be able to mix in with this team as quick as I can, because we're in a playoff run and I want to do everything I can to help out.