Fantasy Baseball 2012: Emergency Waiver-Wire Pitcher for June 20

Mixed-league roto owners, are you in need of a waiver-wire pitcher before Wednesday's slate of interleague games (and one Senior Circuit tilt)?

Here's my free-agent choice (from the majority of 12-team leagues) for one day of fantasy stardom.

Ricky Nolasco, Miami Marlins (@ Boston Red Sox)

1. In his last 10 starts, Nolasco (6-5, 1.32 WHIP, 49 Ks) has allowed four or less runs nine times, and during that span, he crossed the deflating threshold of four walks only once.

2. Additionally, Nolasco has garnered a decision (four wins, five losses) in his last nine starts

3. Nolasco's seasonal ERA (4.37) easily trumps anything from the last four years.

4. The slate of waiver-wire options is noticeably thin today; so when in doubt, ride the young veteran with the demonstrated capacity for 15 wins and 195 strikeouts in a season.

5. Fantasy owners could do considerably worse for a No. 5 pitcher than Nolasco, a tangible talent with a track record of three runs allowed, five strikeouts and seven innings per start. 

The Next Five For Wednesday

1. Joe Blanton (Philadelphia Phillies) vs. Colorado Rockies: Forget about Blanton's 6.97 ERA since May 24. I will always give pitchers with scintillating strikeout-to-walk ratios (29/5 in that span) the benefit of the doubt.

2. Dillon Gee (New York Mets) vs. Baltimore Orioles: Don't let the large shadows of R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana obscure Gee's recent run of six consecutive starts with three or less runs allowed.

3. Erik Bedard (Pittsburgh Pirates) vs. Minnesota Twins: For what it's worth, Bedard (4.36 ERA) has 59 strikeouts in 61 career innings against Minnesota, dating back to his American League days with Seattle and Baltimore.

4. Jordan Lyles (Houston Astros) vs. Kansas City Royals: It's tough to choose between Lyles and Kansas City starter Bruce Chen. The stats are heavily in Chen's favor, but Lyles is long overdue for a seven-strikeout, two-run gem.

5. Chris Archer (Tampa Bay Rays) @ Washington Nationals: One of the Rays' many big-time pitching prospects, Archer (career ERA: 3.89) gets to make his MLB debut in the nation's capital. Fingers crossed on six or seven strikeouts. 

A Look Back

Last week's selection: Reds pitcher Mike Leake
Final tally: 7.0 innings, seven hits, one run allowed, four strikeouts and one walk.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.