Astros Squelch Dodger Comebacks, 7-6 : Baseball: Houston wastes leads of 4-0 and 5-4, then rallies to win in the ninth after trailing, 6-5.

For now, the Dodgers will have to endure their misery without company.

During their first chance in weeks to drag the Houston Astros into the mud with them, the Dodgers just dug in deeper Wednesday, in a 7-6 loss before 33,949 at Dodger Stadium.

They have been alone in last place for 52 days, and it will stay that way after Roger McDowell blew a 6-5 lead by allowing two runs in the ninth inning.

It was McDowell’s fifth blown save in 17 attempts this season, a 70% success rate. It was the second time in 11 days the Dodgers have lost a game after leading in the ninth inning.

After the Dodgers had come back from deficits of 4-0 and 5-4 with Jose Offerman’s two-run triple in the seventh, McDowell followed a perfect eighth inning by allowing a leadoff single to Steve Finley, his fourth hit.

Caminiti then doubled to left, scoring Finley. Jeff Bagwell then singled off the glove of Mike Sharperson at second base, scoring Caminiti.

John Candelaria relieved McDowell and completed his 2,500th inning. Gerald Young sacrificed, Scott Servais then flied to right and after a walk to Juan Guerrero, Eddie Taubensee ended the inning by striking out.

Doug Jones retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth for his 23rd save.

After starter Bob Ojeda left the game in the fifth inning with the Dodgers trailing, 4-0, the offense came back with four runs in the fifth on Carlos Hernandez’s two-run homer, Brett Butler’s two-run single and two Astro errors.

But in the top of the next inning, Finley’s run-scoring single to left against reliever Steve Wilson broke that tie. The hit came after a single by Rafael Ramirez and a grounder by Craig Biggio that led to an error by Sharperson at second base.

With Ramirez on first base and one out, Biggio’s grounder could have led to at least one out. But Sharperson, playing his first game in the field in a week after being benched because of the Dodgers’ youth movement, misplayed the ball.

Butler made sure there was no suspense in at least one area, extending his hitting streak to a National League high-19 games just eight minutes into the game.

With one out in the first, Butler hit a bouncer up the middle that brought the crowd to its feet when it ended up in center field.

Earlier Wednesday, Butler’s outstanding July was formally recognized when he was selected the National League’s player of the month.

In becoming the first Dodger to win the award since Kal Daniels in September of 1990, Butler batted .442 in July with three doubles, two triples a home run and 12 runs batted in. He also stole 18 bases.

Butler, who was batting .266 on June 21, raised his average 50 points to .316 before Wednesday.

He has been crediting his resurgence to a higher grip on the bat, a lower spot in the batting order (second), and an early-season newspaper story about his age.

“There have been a lot of things that have gotten me going . . . but it’s all tarnished when we’re not winning,” Butler said.

After Butler’s hit, Ojeda took center stage by continuing his regular-season struggles against the Astros, allowing four runs, three earned, in 4 1/3 innings.

Ojeda, who has not won since July 3, has a 5.48 ERA in his last four starts.

He allowed runs in the third inning on a run-scoring double by Finley and Carlos Hernandez’s seventh error of the season, a wild throw to second on a stolen base attempt by Finley.

The three stolen bases against Carlos Hernandez lowered his excellent caught-stealing percentage to 26% (11 of 32).