Goins has plenty on his plate as pressure mounts to make impact with bat

PHILADELPHIA— Technically speaking, Ryan Goins came into Citizens Bank Park hitting 1.000.

The truth is in the detail(s): one at-bat, one hit — a double — and one base-on-balls.

But it looked nice up there on the giant scoreboard beyond centre field, when the shortstop — on that particular night — came up to the plate Wednesday.

Indeed, one might almost describe the young Texan’s outing as Gaudy Goins: two hits, including a triple, in four at-bats in Game 1 of this twosetter home-and-home series with the Phillies.

A standup double leading off the fourth Thursday night, very close to a home run, ultimately scoring Toronto’s fifth run.

“In my illustrious three-game career here, I hope I can get a couple of hits,” Goins had joked earlier. Adding dryly: “I might just be hot when we come here.”

Viewed in a binary sense, Goins’ career numbers are flattering, in this pretty bijoux ballpark.

“It’s nice, having smaller gaps,” Goins noted. “Being the hitter that I am, I want to hit in the gaps. In the bigger parks, you hit in the gap and they can run those balls down.”

At straightaway centre-field, 401 feet, but tapering away shortly, 334 feet in left, a mere 330 feet in right.

And, frankly, Goins could use all the help he can get, hitting-wise. Hitlesswonder streaks of 0-for-15 and 0for-18 and 0-for-21 throughout the season. With the return of Devon Travis, the fine acquittal of Darwin Barney and Troy Tulowitzki soon restored to the Jays from injury — played in Dunedin Thursday night — Goins’ imminent future as a Jay is very much in peril.

Too many infielders, too many of whom — Barney the exception — aren’t hitting for squat. But Tulowitzki won’t be the one paying that piper and the club is keen on Travis, recognizing his bitsy batting average is the predictable upshot of no spring training as he continued his lengthy recovery for injury and surgery.

So Goins has to show management something, and quick; something beyond his admittedly superb defence. He’s even taking ground balls at first and third and trying his hand in the outfield.

“There’s no way to explain that 90 at-bat gap and there’s no way to take it back,” Goins says of his foray into the hitting Bermuda Triangle this year. “I started the season out well the first two weeks and then after that I kind of, honestly, lost it there for some 90 at-bats and couldn’t find where I was last year.

“I searched and searched and then I started not playing every day. When that happened, I just went back to the cage, grinding it.”

The result was encouraging: Goins is batting .321 over his last nine games.

“In the last 21⁄ 2 weeks, every time I’ve gotten in there (the plate), I’ve felt that feeling from last year. I felt like myself again. Seeing the ball good, seeing the ball good finally.”

Still scratching his head, though, how he went from all-glove-almostno-bat player to completely eclipsed and hitting-snookered player.

“I’m trying to make myself as versatile as possible.”

Has manager John Gibbons noticed? Does he care much?

“Numbers get magnified,” the manager noted pre-game, on the subject of Goins.

Goins, resignedly: “It’s their decision to make.” Rosie DiManno