With eighth-inning setup man Hong-Chih Kuo having not pitched since Friday and with the Dodgers entering the eighth with a one-run lead Wednesday night at Houston, manager Joe Torre called upon rookie Ronald Belisario, a clear indication Torre has lost faith in the struggling Kuo.

Belisario proceeded to blow the lead and the game. With the exception of closer Jonathan Broxton, Torre might be running out of relievers he does trust.

"(Kuo) is all right physically," Torre said. "But we're trying to get him into a situation more toward the middle of a game before we get him out there at the end of a game."

The Dodgers have another of their top relievers, Cory Wade, on the disabled list with shoulder bursitis. Throw in rookie Scott Elbert, whose only appearance since being called up to take Wade's roster spot came with an 11-run lead Sunday against Colorado, and the list of pitchers Torre presumably would hesitate to use in key, late-inning situations is starting to lengthen.

ASTROS 6, DODGERS 5: Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake all homered in a four-run sixth inning against Astros ace Roy Oswalt, with Ramirez and Ethier delivering the Dodgers' first back-to-back shots of the season and Blake later coming through with a two-run shot. James Loney drove in a run with a double in the top of the eighth, giving the Dodgers a short-lived, 5-4 lead before Ronald Belisario let it get away in the bottom of the eighth.