The Tropicana Field crowd isn’t quite up to the level we saw when the Red Sox were in town (101,305 for the three-game series Monday-Wednesday), but it’s pretty respectable for a Royals game. Probably somewhere around 18,000, maybe a little bigger. Not bad, especially considering (unlike most MLB parks today) there won’t be a post-game fireworks display!

Among the fans spending their Fourth at the Trop is comedian/actor Chris Rock, who has been in town for shows at the Performing Arts Center in Tampa. He actually has mentioned the Rays a couple of times the past couple of nights, and he did so Thursday in front of a group of folks whose interest in the Rays is beyond the band-wagon level: Manager Joe Maddon, VP Andrew Friedman, Pres. Matt Silverman and other Rays officials and significant others took advantage of the off day to take in Rock’s show. Maddon was gratified that Rock mentioned his ball club, and the manager said he didn’t think Rock even knew the Rays were so well represented at the show.

Anyway, they just showed Rock in his seat on the big video board, and he was greeted warmly by the crowd.

The 4-0 score, by the way, is about right. It’s a lop-sided affair so far, with the Rays jumping on Royals pitcher Brian Bannister for three quick runs in the first and with Edwin Jackson having allowed only a leadoff single to David DeJesus in the first. Two double plays have allowed Jackson to face the minimum 15 batters through five.

The only downer? Reid Brignac has struck out his first two plate appearances in the majors. He has, however, made a couple of nifty plays in the field, including a 1-4-6-3 double play in the first and a quick turn on a 3-6-1 DP in the fourth.