Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - Lance Berkman hit a game-tying homer and Ivan Rodriguez singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer and Jason Michaels added a two-run double for the Astros, who also won Tuesday in the first contest of this three-game series.

Houston starter Roy Oswalt allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings, but did not factor into the decision. Chris Sampson (1-0) took the win despite allowing a potentially decisive run in two relief innings, while LaTroy Hawkins tossed a perfect ninth to nail down his second save.

"It was fun to watch. Even from my point of view it was fun to watch," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "It was a good game. Great game for the team effort. Great game, great comeback. Boy, these guys are starting to swing the bats a little bit, so I'm getting excited now."

Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake all homered in the sixth inning for the Dodgers, who have now lost two in a row following an eight-game win streak.

Los Angeles center fielder Matt Kemp, who had gotten at least one hit in each of the season's first 14 games, went 0-for-4.

Ronald Belisario (0-1) took the loss after allowing the two runs in the bottom of the eighth. He followed LA starter Randy Wolf, who gave up four runs on eight hits in seven frames of work.

With the game tied at four runs apiece, Los Angeles edged in front in the top of the eighth. Facing Sampson, Ethier singled and scored on a James Loney double to left, and suddenly the Dodgers had a 5-4 lead.

Sampson, though, worked out of further trouble and the Astros took the lead in the bottom half. Berkman smacked a one-out solo shot to left field to tie the contest, and after Carlos Lee grounded out, Pence hit a ground-rule double to right.

Belisario unfurled a wild pitch that allowed Pence to move to third, and Belisario intentionally walked pinch-hitter Geoff Blum. But Rodriguez avoided the force out by smacking a grounder back up the middle to plate Pence and give Houston a 6-5 edge.

"We like the aggressive nature with which he goes about his business," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of Belisario. "But, it just didn't work tonight. Again, he came in against the tough part of the batting order. It's a tough group to go through."

Hawkins took the mound for the Astros in the ninth and set the Dodgers down in order to end the game.

Houston took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. After Lee singled with one away, Pence crushed a fastball at the knees over the fence in left-center field.

But Los Angeles surged ahead with a four-run sixth, which Ramirez and Ethier began with consecutive homers. Russell Martin then walked with one out, and after Kemp struck out, Blake homered to left to give the Dodgers a 4-2 edge.

Michaels had a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 4-4 game.

Game Notes

Michaels finished with two doubles in the game...Oswalt tied the franchise record for starts with 245...The Dodgers hadn't had back-to-back homers since September 3 of last season and hadn't hit three in an inning since May 15 of the same year...Berkman's homer was his 292nd with the Astros, moving him past Craig Biggio into second place in Houston franchise history.