Josh Beckett takes some imposing tools to the mound. Blazing fastball, baffling curve -- and an unmistakable mean streak. Maybe that's the reason he owns October. "He's got some presence out there with him," Red Sox teammate Dustin Pedroia said Tuesday. "He brings an attitude to this team." Indeed, Beckett has been bad news for hitters all postseason. He is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in three starts, striking out 26 and walking one in 23 overpowering innings. He'll carry those astounding numbers into the World Series opener Wednesday night against Colorado, which banged Beckett around Fenway Park in June and handed him his first loss after a 9-0 start. Jeff Francis, enjoying an excellent postseason himself, will pitch for the Rockies.