OAKLAND, Calif. – As if tribute to the plucky way Whitey Herzog’s clubs conjured runs when they lacked the power to just simplify things, the Cardinals turned whatever they could muster Tuesday into just enough runs to matter.

It wasn’t the flash of the classic, speedy Whiteyball but it came with a dash of defense as the Cardinals maximized a few minimal hits for a 3-2 victory Tuesday against the Athletics.

Headed into the seventh inning, the Cardinals had as many hits as they had runs because each of the runs they scored to take the lead scored on an out. A stolen base in the third inning and a sacrifice bunt allowed a groundout to produce the Cardinals’ first run, and two walks that led to two sacrifice flies flipped the game on the A’s in the sixth at the Oakland Coliseum. Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn, who has that Herzog-ready skill set of gliding speed and glistening glove, walked twice, stole once, and broke a tie ballgame with his sacrifice fly.

He even tried to bunt for a base hit in the eighth.

The cobbling together of walks and fly balls to produce runs made a winner of Lance Lynn for the first time since he returned to the Cardinals, the team that drafted him. Lynn (1-0) limited the A’s to one earned run (two runs total) through seven innings. A night after Sonny Gray earned his 100th career win, Lynn moved ever closer to a milestone of his own with his 137th career win. It was his 73rd with the Cardinals – and first for them since 2017.

Ryan Helsley retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning for his seventh save of the young season.

The victory puts the Cardinals (9-9) back at .500 for the season and within a win of closing out a series sweep in Oakland before returning home from their second West Coast trip of the month. They are, to date, winless in the final games of series this series, and they failed to sweep San Diego and Miami when they won the first two games of the series.

Cue the productive outs

Against Oakland starter J. P. Sears, Winn drew a leadoff walk in the third inning and the Cardinals’ machinations were afoot.

Winn stole second for his third steal of the season.

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