DETROIT -- The Twins optioned first baseman Chris Parmelee to Class AAA Rochester after Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers and promoted Sam Deduno to make Saturday's start in Texas.

Deduno, 29, is a hard-throwing righthander from the Dominican Republic with a knee-buckling curve, but he's had trouble throwing strikes throughout his career. He went 1-2 with a 2.14 ERA in nine starts for Rochester, piling up 46 strikeouts and 22 walks in 42 innings.

Perkins unavailable

Manager Ron Gardenhire said the Twins didn't want to use Glen Perkins today. Perkins had pitched four consecutive days between Saturday and Tuesday. The Twins had Jared Burton ready for a ninth-inning save opportunity. Burton warmed up late in the game but didn't enter.

Gardenhire also noted that Alex Burnett had been on quite a roll. Indeed, Burnett had thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings before getting charged with three earned runs today.

And, no doubt Perkins would have faced Prince Fielder in the eighth if he were available. Instead, Gardenhire brought in rookie Tyler Robertson, and Fielder drilled a three-run homer that gave Detroit a 6-3 lead.

Scott Diamond was pulled after throwing 91 pitches through seven innings. The lefthander had thrown eight innings in his previous two starts and said he was pretty gassed on a hot afternoon.