Jeter's HR gives Yankees 1-0 win over Twins in suspended game

MINNEAPOLIS - Derek Jeter put the Yankees ahead with his bat.

His glove helped them stay there.

Jeter homered off Brian Duensing with one out in the top of the sixth inning Wednesday afternoon to break a scoreless tie and give the Yankees a 1-0 victory over the Twins in a game that took nearly 24 hours to finish.

The game was suspended after five innings Tuesday night because of a thunderstorm.

Without throwing a pitch A.J. Burnett, who allowed three hits in five scoreless innings Tuesday, got the victory to improve to 5-2.

Mariano Rivera, who allowed a grand slam to Jason Kubel in blowing a save against the Twins May 16 at the Stadium, had an eventful ninth before recording his ninth save.

No. 8 hitter J.J. Hardy led off and hit a long fly ball to left that Kevin Russo caught in front of the wall. Jim Thome, who drew a bases-loaded walk against Rivera before Kubel's grand slam, walked again. Alexi Casilla pinch ran for Thome, but the excitement ended there as Denard Span grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Jeter didn't have much of a track record against Duensing coming in, 0-for-1 in his career. But he launched Duensing's 1-and-1 pitch deep to left-center for his fifth homer of the season and first since April 30 against the White Sox.

David Robertson started the bottom of the sixth and received an immediate scare as Joe Mauer lined a ball off the lower part of his back. Such was the force of the line drive, the ball caromed off Robertson and into Alex Rodriguez's glove at third for the first out.

Almost before the ball settled in A-Rod's glove, manager Joe Girardi, pitching coach Dave Eiland and trainer Steve Donohue were sprinting out of the dugout to check on Robertson. With that group watching closely, Robertson took several warm-up tosses and stayed in the game.

Robertson then walked Justin Morneau, who advanced to third on a two-out double by Kubel.

After Eiland visited Robertson again, Delmon Young sent a grounder to the hole at short where Jeter made his defensive gem. Jeter went to his right and perfectly executed a jump-throw Yankees fans have grown accustomed to and cut down Young to preserve the Yankees' lead.

The Yankees put a runner in scoring position with one out in the seventh when Robinson Cano hit his team-high 13th double, but he was stranded as Nick Swisher struck out looking and Juan Miranda popped to second.

Robertson got the Twins' Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, Hardy and Brendan Harris, to start the seventh but when Span singled to center, Girardi called on Joba Chamberlain to face Orlando Hudson.

Hudson hit a ground shot but directly at Miranda, playing the field for DH Mark Teixeira, and Miranda stepped on the bag for the third out.

Girardi stuck with Chamberlain to start the eighth against the Twins' best two hitters, starting with Mauer, 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks in his career against the righty. Mauer lined a full-count pitch to left for a single to bring up Morneau. The Twins first baseman, who leads the AL in hitting with a .376 average, fell in a 1-and-2 hole and struck out swinging at a 94-mph fastball. Michael Cuddyer hit into a fielder's choice for the second out and, after Chamberlain walked Kubel, Young grounded out to third to end the inning.