LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers picked up after the All-Star break just the way they left off before it.

They were edged by the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night, 4-3, their losing streak reached five games, and they did it with yet another bizarre occurrence as starting pitcher Brad Penny was ejected in the third inning.

Omar Vizquel won it with his second home run of the year, a three-run shot with two outs in the seventh inning on an 0-2 pitch from rookie D.J. Houlton, who was pressed into service by Penny's ejection.

The homer came in an inning prolonged by a Dodgers error, of which there were more than the two charged by the official scorer.

In fact, the ejection was the result of a baserunning mistake by Penny, who found himself safe at first base on what had the makings of a double-play bunt, then appeared to present the Dodgers with runners on first and second and no outs.

But when second baseman Ray Durham (covering first base on the bunt) did not come up with Vizquel's one-hop relay throw from second to first, Penny made what first-base umpire Alfonso Marquez ruled was an attempt to advance to second base.

That the attempt was barely more than a flinch still constituted an attempt and Durham tagged Penny before he could return to first base. An argument by Penny was joined by manager Jim Tracy and Penny headed toward the Dodgers' dugout. As he walked away from plate umpire Rob Drake, Penny said something and threw his helmet toward the dugout. Drake ejected him.

"He said, 'Alfonso is [cheating] me' and he slammed his helmet," said Drake. "It was a combination, it was pretty simple. He was complaining the whole way back. We gave him a long leash, he ejected himself."

Said Penny: "If he said I said that, he's lying. I told [Drake], 'Alfonso [blew] the call,' that's all I said, I swear. I didn't say anything derogatory."

Said Tracy: "I didn't hear the conversation. I was at first base [arguing with Marquez]."

Penny said he and Drake have a history of ejections dating back to winter ball days in Puerto Rico, but he also took the blame for getting ejected in the first place.

"I shouldn't get tossed in that situation," he said. "I left the bullpen out there to pitch six innings. I've got to go deep in the game."

And upon reflection, Penny said Marquez made the right call at first base.

"I did turn inside," said Penny. "He's right. I'm out."

Marquez said that once a batter-runner goes beyond first base, if he makes a move toward second base, he's liable to be put out.

"That's what he did," said Marquez. "It's the attempt."

What made things worse was that Penny had just thrown three scoreless innings and had his curveball working. Houlton took over and kept the Giants off the scoreboard, if not off base, until the fateful seventh.

With one out, Jason Ellison hit a nubber that Houlton fielded, then threw a sinker toward first base, where Jeff Kent's rugged night was about to get a lot worse. Kent started at first in hopes of protecting his tender hamstring, but he took a physical beating all night and he not only didn't catch Houlton's throw, it drilled him on the left arm, leaving a bruise and an error that made the three runs that followed unearned.

Pinch-hitter Adam Shabala singled and Michael Tucker moved the runners along with a nubber groundout. Vizquel followed with his home run, raising his fist in the air before the ball hit the screen.

"I tried to get it up and in and it wasn't in enough," said Houlton. "One pitch kind of killed us."

Down 4-1, the Dodgers rallied in the bottom of the seventh for a pair of runs on Mike Edwards' RBI groundout and a ground-rule double by Jason Phillips that would have tied the game if it hadn't bounced into the seats.

The Giants then intentionally walked Antonio Perez, who singled his three previous at-bats, to bring up Jayson Werth, who struck out for the third time to end the inning.

"They got the hit with two outs and we didn't," said Tracy.