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Hicks (side) is listed as the Giants' probable starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Phillies in Philadelphia.

Advice: Hicks contended with side tightness during his most recent outing against the Pirates last Saturday, when he struck out a season-high nine over six innings while allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks. The injury apparently didn't hinder him during his between-starts bullpen session, so he's on track to take the hill for the seventh time this season Friday. After pitching exclusively in relief between stops with St. Louis and Toronto in 2023, Hicks has performed even better than the Giants could have imagined after signing him to a four-year, $44 million deal this winter with the plan of converting him to a full-time starting role. Through his first six turns through the rotation, Hicks has delivered two wins to go with a 1.59 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB in 34 innings. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:31 pm

Nathan Eovaldi was removed from Thursday’s start against the Nationals due to right groin tightness.

Advice: Eovaldi will continue to undergo further evaluation, including an MRI on Friday following an early exit from Thursday afternoon’s showdown with a trainer after 92 pitches through 5 2/3 scoreless frames. The 34-year-old righty finished with eight strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. He was unlikely to work much further into the contest, but the fact that he’s dealing with a groin issue certainly puts his next start in serious jeopardy. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days. Rotoworld Yesterday, 1:19 pm

Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday in an 8-0 win over Arizona.

Advice: Smith hit one of two homers in the game for Los Angeles, taking Jordan Montgomery deep to left field for a fifth-inning solo shot. The All-Star catcher went deep just once over his first 23 games of the season but has picked up the power since, swatting three long balls over his past five contests. Smith has complemented his four homers on the campaign with a .355/.395/.555 slash line, 24 RBI and 18 runs over 124 plate appearances. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:28 am

Verlander pitched seven innings in a no-decision against the Guardians on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two.

Advice: Verlander allowed the leadoff man to reach in four of his seven innings of work but managed to limit the damage to only two runs, both of which came across in the top of the fifth. The veteran right-hander struggled to get ahead in the count for much of the contest and has now issued at least three walks in back-to-back starts, though he's still held opposing teams to two or fewer runs in all three outings to open the campaign. Wednesday also marked Verlander's first start this season in which he's gone at least seven innings. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 4:20 am

Justin Verlander allowed two runs with two strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision against the Guardians on Wednesday.

Advice: Verlander had worked around four hits and two walks through four scoreless innings until the Guardians got to him in the fifth. Will Brennan led off the inning with a solo homer to put Cleveland on the board. A walk and triple brought one more run across before Verlander escaped the frame. He tossed two more innings for the quality start, striking out two batters. The 41-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 13/7 K/BB ratio across 17 1/3 innings. He’s set for a matchup against the Yankees in New York on Tuesday. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:57 pm