Ex-Cub Marshall adapting to life with new team

If Sean Marshall thought the Cubs clubhouse was small and cramped at Wrigley Field, he hadn’t seen anything yet.

Marshall returned to Chicago on Friday as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, who acquired him from the Cubs for pitcher Travis Wood, outfielder Dave Sappelt and infielder Ronald Torreyes. All of those players are in the minor leagues.

There are bigger boom closets than the visitors locker room at Wrigley Field, but Marshall wasn’t complaining.

“It’s definitely small over here,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve been on the visiting side. It’s still nice.”

Until being traded, Marshall had known only life as a Cub during his pro baseball career. So things are different in that regard, too, for the 29-year-old lefty.

“Obviously, I’ve been used to coming here for all the home games the last six years,” he said. “It’s definitely different, but I’m getting used to it. I had to adapt a little bit. My wife’s from Chicago, and she’s used to having her family here.

“So she’s in the process of living somewhere else, but she’s happy. Our little boy turns 1 on Saturday, so we’ll have a birthday party for him here with the family, so that’s nice too.”

While with the Cubs, Marshall developed into one of the top left-handed setup men in the game. With the Reds bullpen in flux, Marshall has been used as a closer. He has both Cincinnati saves this season.

“Closing is good,” he said. “I’ve had two chances so far. We had a couple of walk-off victories, and we won a game by 4 or 5 runs. I had a couple of chances to come in and finish off the last inning. It’s been fun.

“It’s the same game. I’ve still got to make my pitches and do the same. There’s a little bit more crowd energy, but I’ve always been comfortable with however many people are watching or how much noise is being made.”

With Marshall gone, the Cubs have turned to James Russell as their left-hander in the pen. Until Scott Maine was called up Friday, Russell was the only left-handed reliever on the team. He also has been the Cubs’ most effective guy out of the pen.

He earned the endorsement of his predecessor.

“Russ is a good guy,” Marshall said. “I talked to him a little while before they went out and stretched. He’s the right guy for the job. He’s got a nice set of pitches. He’s got a good fastball, good slider, good curveball. He throws his changeup, too. He had a good year last year in relief. I look for big things from him. He’s one of the guys who can definitely be a staple out of the bullpen.”