Ivan Rodriguez’s hit is a winner

When the Dodgers arrived in Houston with a full head of steam to play the struggling Astros, Dodgers starter Randy Wolf warned that his former teammates shouldn’t be shortchanged.

Much to Wolf’s chagrin, he was right.

The Dodgers lost, 6-5, to Houston on Wednesday night, their second consecutive loss to the Astros, when Ivan Rodriguez singled home the winning run against reliever Ronald Belisario at Minute Maid Park.

But Wolf, the veteran left-hander who started the game, shouldered most of the blame for letting the Astros even get to that point.

After Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake hit home runs for the Dodgers in the sixth inning to support Wolf -- the first time the Dodgers had hit three homers in an inning in nearly a year -- Wolf had a 4-2 lead.

But he let the Astros score two runs in the bottom of the inning when Lance Berkman walked, Carlos Lee singled and Jason Michaels hit his third double in as many games.

“We put up four runs against a really tough pitcher,” Wolf said of starter Roy Oswalt, “and we had that four-run sixth inning and I give up that lead right away. You can’t do that.

“It’s disappointing because that’s a win for us that I felt I let slip away.”

Belisario (0-1), a career minor leaguer from Venezuela who worked his way into a big league relief role this season, said he felt good with his pitches, but “[the Astros] got me. Those things happen.”

The Dodgers still had a chance after James Loney doubled home Ethier in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.

But Berkman again got the Astros even in the bottom of the inning with a home run against Belisario.

Hunter Pence then doubled and, as Belisario began to intentionally walk pinch-hitter Geoff Blum, he threw a wild pitch that allowed Pence to reach third base. Rodriguez followed with his single.

The Astros had ended the Dodgers’ winning streak at eight games a night earlier.

And another streak ended when Matt Kemp finished 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak, which began on opening day, at 14 games.

Wolf sailed through the first three innings in front of 26,725 that included former pitcher Roger Clemens, whose long career included three years with Houston, and former president George H.W. Bush.

But in the fourth inning, Lee singled and Pence followed with a home run over the left-center field wall, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers countered in the sixth inning when Ramirez belted a 2-and-1 pitch from Oswalt for his fourth homer.

Ethier then tied the score with a home run that barely cleared the left-field fence, the first time the Dodgers hit consecutive home runs since Sept. 3, against the San Diego Padres.

After Russell Martin followed with a walk and Kemp struck out, Blake hit his towering homer that arced over the left-field foul pole and gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.

It was the first time the Dodgers hit three home runs in the same inning since May 15, when they did it against the Milwaukee Brewers.

But Wolf and Belisario couldn’t hold the lead.

The Astros (6-9) might be playing under .500 but “they’re a tough lineup,” Wolf said. “When it’s the first two weeks of the season, you throw out numbers. They don’t mean anything.”

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james.peltz@latimes.com