CINCINNATI -- The Arizona Diamondbacks continue their weekend series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park with manager Chip Hales job status looming over the club.Hale led Arizona to a 15-win improvement in 2015, his first season at the helm. After a busy offseason highlighted by the signing of Zack Greinke, the D-backs came into this year expecting to make a run at a National League West title.But, injuries and overall inconsistent play led to a 40-56 start and last-place standing in the division, leading to rumblings that Hale might be replaced by Triple-A Reno manager Phil Nevin.Im not going to make any comments about any rumors, said Hale, prior to Friday nights game. Nothing ever surprises me in this game, about anything.Following Friday nights 6-2 loss at Cincinnati, the Diamondbacks have dropped 16 of their last 20.Greinke is the latest Arizona injury. The right-handed ace threw off the mound on Wednesday for the first time since being placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique in mid-June. He will throw again on Saturday after which Hale hopes to define the next step in his rehab.The D-backs also are without infielder Chris Owings and outfielder David Peralta, both rehabbing with the Triple-A Reno.Arizona is hoping to continue its recent success against CincinnatiLast season, the D-backs won six of seven meetings against the Reds who posted their lowest victory total against Arizona since 2002. Arizona had won the last five games at Great American Ball Park prior to Friday night.Right-hander Keyvius Sampson gets a spot start for Cincinnati on Saturday. Hell be making his eighth appearance of the season but his first start. Its the second time hes faced Arizona as a starter. He last faced the Diamondbacks on Aug. 8, 2015 when he allowed one earned run and four hits in six innings in a 4-1 Reds win.Sampson tossed four scoreless innings in his last outing in relief, allowing three hits with two walks and five Ks. It was the longest relief outing of his career and the longest by a Cincinnati reliever since 2013.Left-hander Robbie Ray will start on Saturday for Arizona. Ray threw seven shutout innings in his last start on July 17 against the Dodgers. He has struck out five or more batters in 18 consecutive starts.Ray last faced the Reds on Aug. 8, 2015 when he allowed three earned runs in six innings, the same game in which Sampson last faced the D-backs.Hell likely have to contend with the one-two punch at the top of Cincinnatis batting order in Billy Hamilton and Zack Cozart who on Friday combined to 3-for-8 with a double, two walks and three runs scored.Cozart and I are two different players, Hamilton said. Hes a doubles machine. Im not too much of a doubles machine. If I can get on base in front of him, we can score a lot of runs.Jerseys NFL Wholesale . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.jerseyscheapauthentic.com/ . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. NFL Jerseys China . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Discount Jerseys . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player.Often reticent about getting involved in divisive politics, the sporting world has been on quite an activist roll when it comes to North Carolina.It started with the NBA stripping away its lucrative All-Star Game from Charlotte because of a state law that limits protections for LGBT people. The NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference followed suit this week, reclaiming a host of major events including the first and seconds rounds of the mens basketball tournament and the ACC football championship.Theres still room to dole out more financial pain, but that would require NASCAR and golf -- two entities with a hefty stake in the Tar Heel state -- to step up.Not going to happen.NASCAR, which has its headquarters, its hall of fame and one of its biggest races in the Charlotte area, is not the least bit inclined to get involved in the fight over HB2, the so-called bathroom law.Already struggling to fill seats and draw television viewers, the organization is undoubtedly mindful that its conservative fan base wouldnt take kindly to anything that sounds the least bit progressive.Ditto for golf, another sport that its fair to say comes down largely on the right side of the political spectrum. Theres zero chance that next years PGA Championship will be held anywhere other than Charlottes Quail Hollow Club or, looking much further down the road, that the 2024 U.S. Open wont be held at Pinehurst.Lets face it: If youre on a quest for social justice, better look elsewhere.Nothing to see here.NASCAR czar Brian France couldve made quite a splash by threatening to move his companys headquarters to a more-inclusive state or pull the two races held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway -- one on Memorial Day weekend, the other part of the end-of-the-season playoff.Instead, hes continually talked out of both sides of his mouth, expressing opposition to the law but not doing anything to show hes really displeased.We dont agree with the law, he said again this week. Anything that has a discriminating component to it, we are not in favor of it. I have voiced my views directly to the governor. We are working with the governor to express our disappointment in that bill. But we dont write legislation. We are going to continue to work behind the scenes to express our values and the things that we think are important.The PGA of America sounded a similar theme when asked about holding its 2017 championship in a state that not only requires transgender people to use restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate, but excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from any sort of statewide antidiscrimination protections.We are trying to do eeverything we can, as part of our strategic plan for our organization in golf, to make the game as inclusive as possible, said Pete Bevacqua, the PGAs chief executive officer.ddddddddddddWere not perfect. Were trying.Not trying hard enough.Then again, when has golf -- or NACAR, for that matter -- ever taken a leading role to make society more inclusive?Golf had a Caucasian-only clause in its rulebook until 1961, kept holding tournaments at private clubs that discriminated against African-Americans and other ethnic and religious groups until the early 1990s, and continues to grapple with the issue of male-only memberships. NASCAR has its roots in the segregationist South and only in recent years took a stand against the Confederate flag.Bevacqua has made it clear that next years PGA Championship will be held at Quail Hollow, no matter what happens with HB2 after the November election.North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, a strong supporter of the law, is running for another term, even while facing condemnation from a broad spectrum that also includes musicians and the businesses community.More troubling, Bevacqua wouldnt even commit to the PGA of American barring another major championship from being awarded to North Carolina if the law remains on the books.Well see how it goes next year, he said recently during this years PGA Championship at Baltusrol. We think its going to be and we know its going to be a wonderful championship when you get to the site and when the best players in the world descend on that golf course and play a golf course that they will never have seen in terms of the changes that have been made.See, it doesnt matter whats going on outside the gates as long as the greens are in tip-top condition.Bevacqua went on to parrot the message that France has been regurgitating over and over again: Hey, theres only so much a multibillion-dollar industry can do, despite all evidence to the contrary.We cant control the policies, the rules and the regulations around the country and municipalities and states, Bevacqua said. We can only do what we can do. And well try to make that PGA Championship -- like we do every PGA Championship -- enjoyable, inclusive, and shine a great light on our organization and the game of golf.Too bad hes not willing to shine that bright light on what matters.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '