None of that stopped the Reds from doing what they've done to Oakland all week: find just enough offense and hand it to the bullpen with a lead. That formula's worked in low-scoring, tightly-played games all series, and it worked again here.
Cincinnati has won 4 of its last 5 and has now beaten the Athletics in back-to-back one-run games. Oakland, meanwhile, is riding a 5-game losing streak that includes getting outscored 32-9 across three of those losses to Detroit before this series even started. The Reds aren't blowing anyone out, but they don't need to against a team this beat up.
The injury list tells the real story of where each roster stands. Cincinnati's losses are notable but Terry Francona still has a deep enough bench and bullpen to paper over them; Oakland's are foundational, with the middle of their order (Kurtz, Rooker, Gelof) largely gutted for the stretch run of a lost season.
Cincinnati scratched out single runs in the 2nd, 5th and 6th and got just enough length from Lowder to hand it to a bullpen that's held up all series. The Athletics never found the big swing to break through, and a 45-69 club that's lost 5 straight in a row looks every bit like a team playing out the string.