What's with this mythos that "you have to protect your hand" in situations where your opponent won't fold? If he has a strong draw your bet is for value, not protection. If he's an idiot chaser your bet is for (more) value, not protection. The best we can hope to fold here is a 6 outer or a very weak draw with no pair. Weigh that against the disaster that occurs when you get check-raised here (2 bets in with less than 20% equity) and it should become clear that the only time you'd like to bet this to protect your hand in this small pot is when you're against a passive opponent who's c/r range is strong enough that you can comfortably fold.