DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jordan Montgomery spent the better part of a month facing the best high school hitters in his South Carolina hometown, seeing those amateurs wave behind fastballs and buckle their knees at curves. Best of luck this season to the Sumter Fighting Gamecocks, but the Blue Jays’ stacked order presented a more appropriate challenge for the Yankees left-hander.

Knocked for three runs and six hits over one-plus innings in the Bombers’ 9-2 Grapefruit League loss at TD Ballpark on Tuesday, Montgomery evaluated the effort as something of a starting point, saying that he has been feeling “kind of rushed” by the abbreviated Spring Training.

“Honestly, I was just kind of nervous and tense,” Montgomery said. “I wanted to get it out of the way. I wanted to work on my fastball location and got a little wild, trying to overthrow. I cleaned it up a little bit in the second inning, moving on the mound a little smoother. I’m just trying to be athletic and have some rhythm out there.”

Montgomery didn’t miss many bats, surrendering hits to the first four Blue Jays he faced -- all with loud contact. After three singles rocketed through the infield, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. banged a two-run double past right fielder Ryan LaMarre and Matt Chapman laced a sacrifice fly on Montgomery’s 28th pitch before manager Aaron Boone emerged to retrieve the baseball.

“He just didn’t quite have that last gear on [his fastball],” Boone said. “He’s probably just getting in a really good rhythm mechanically with his delivery and stuff. He wasn’t quite gripping it. I don’t think it’s far off.”

Under Spring Training rules, Montgomery was permitted to begin the second inning, tossing another 21 pitches in a frame that included two singles, a wild pitch and a walk. Vinny Nittoli induced a bases-loaded pop-out that kept Toronto from adding more damage to Montgomery’s pitching line.

“I’m a competitor, so I’m going to be upset about it,” Montgomery said. “I’ll probably be the first person tomorrow to get on the mound and kind of feel what I need to feel. I threw strikes and was aggressive with my fastball, and it still wasn’t moving. When I’m throwing a flat fastball and not afraid to throw it, I’m pretty proud of that. I know what I need to do on the mound, so I’ll keep working.”

Target: Opening Day
Gerrit Cole opted to skip the Yanks’ road trip on Tuesday, instead throwing 43 pitches over two simulated innings at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The ace is preparing for his Opening Day assignment against the Red Sox on April 7 at Yankee Stadium.

“It just allows you to get a little more feedback afterwards,” Cole said. “It just keeps the main thing settling into the delivery and throwing quality pitches, as opposed to getting outs. There’s just more competition in [a game]. It’s just an opportunity to keep the focus on what I can control.”

Cole faced DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Aaron Hicks, Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton on Tuesday. Cole said that he’ll next throw about 50 pitches in a Grapefruit League game, saying that he’ll probably have time to build his stamina to around 80 pitches for Opening Day.

“Normally I would throw six [innings] and repeat at six,” Cole said. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to repeat that load of pitches in the next two weeks. We have some expanded rosters for the month of April, which is appropriate. I think we’ll be able to navigate it just fine.”

Back in action
Anthony Rizzo played in his first spring game as a Yankee on Tuesday, belting a double and working a walk in three plate appearances. The first baseman arrived in camp last week, having agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal.

“We have a lot of very established guys that know what it takes to get ready,” Rizzo said. “Guys are very focused on getting their work in, having a good time and talking about all the things we need to be talking about this time of year to establish what we want to do.”

Rizzo said that he expects a fight ahead for the top spot in the American League East, with the Blue Jays among the toughest challengers that the Yankees must handle.

“They’re confident and they can hit,” Rizzo said. “It’s a fun team to watch because they have good at-bats. It’ll be a battle all year in our division.”