A stark reminder of the strike that has just ended recently, this game was played on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and the stands were almost empty for this one. Looked like there were 10k in attendance, and that's an optimistic guess.

This game perfectly summed up a typical Franco outing during this era. Silenced over the first 7 innings, the Mets come back in dramatic fashion with a 2-run Rico Brogna homer in the 8th. Summoned to close out the 2-1 win, Franco gets Roberto Kelly to ground out to SS on a real close play leading off the inning -- a big call considering the way the rest of the inning played out. Next up, Moises Alou also hit a grounder to SS, but this time Jose Vizcaino can't immediately get a grip on the ball in his glove and Alou beats the throw. It's ruled a hit but it should have been an error. Rondell White pinch hits for Darrin Fletcher next, and he also grounds one to the SS hole. Vizcaino fields it but has no play at either base. So Franco gets 3 ground balls, but only 1 out to show for it. Mike Lansing follows with a solid single, scoring pinch-runner Lou Frazier to tie the game. Franco gets out of the jam with no more runs scoring, but the damage is done. It's already his 2nd blown save in 7 appearances in 1995. Whether it's a case of bad luck or a case of a guy who just doesn't have the "stuff" to be a consistent closer, Franco seemed to be plagued by these type of innings all the time.

The Mets had all kinds of chances to score beyond the Brogna homer but kept coming up short. They loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th, nothing. They put the leadoff man on in the 10th, 11th, and 13th, zilch. They put runners in motion trying to manufacture runs, both were caught stealing. Vizcaino bid for his second triple of the game with a deep drive to CF with 2 out in the 12th, but Roberto Kelly made a great running catch for the out. Too bad, cause Brogna led off the next inning with a single. That could have been the walk-off hit if not for Kelly's catch. Then there's David Segui, who, despite not entering the game until he pinch-hit for Ricky Otero in the 7th, still found a way to strand 6 runners on base, popping out with the bases loaded in the 7th, striking out with a runner on in the 9th, and grounding out to the pitcher with 2 on to end the 11th. He was one of those classic players who was excellent with everyone else, but turned into a bum when he played for the Mets.

Ugueth Urbina, in just his second big-league appearance, pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to earn his first career win. Meanwhile, Jerry DiPoto picked up his first loss as a Met. He also had a tough-luck outing, as he gave up a leadoff single to Lansing in the 13th and saw him score after a wild pitch (though I thought Hundley should have handled the pitch), a sac bunt, and an RBI groundout to first. But baseball is one of those sports where you gotta make your own luck, and during this era all the Mets were making were bad memories.