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Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Francisco Mateo, a second-year left-hander, has improved his mechanics as well as his mental game this season.

PULASKI -- In the end, this pitching thing isn't really so complicated. From Roger Clemens to the smallest Little Leaguer, the key is putting the ball where you want it.

Francisco Mateo is beginning to do a better job of that, and accordingly, the second-year left-hander has been a big reason for the Pulaski Blue Jays' scorching start to the Appalachian League season.

"We're not throwers here; we're pitchers," said Vince Horsman, the P-Jays' new pitching coach. "Professional strike-throwers."

Of course, Mateo has been trying to throw strikes all along -- and not just strikes, but fastballs, changeups and curves spotted down in the zone or on the edge of the plate. It's just that his arm wasn't moving as it should to produce those results.

"He tends to drop his arm a little bit, and his pitches get a little flat," said Horsman, a former major-leaguer who first worked with the 22-year-old Dominican in extended spring training a few months ago.

"That's just not going to work for him to move on ... to the next level."

Mateo has worked with Horsman to correct that and other flaws in his delivery, focusing on repeating it perfectly on each pitch. Mateo, who doesn't speak English, said through teammate Ray Gonzalez that he is staying on top of the ball and keeping it down more often.

The results have been good: three wins in three starts with six walks, 14 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA. Each time he has gone out, Mateo has allowed one earned run in five innings.

"He's staying consistent inside his delivery," said Horsman, who pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins from 1991-95. "If your delivery starts getting out of whack, whether you open up a little too much or you're dropping your arm, the ability to make quality pitches isn't going to happen on a consistent level."

After growing up in La Romana, a crowded Dominican town he said is much busier than Pulaski, Mateo pitched for Toronto's Dominican Summer League team in 2004.

Last year with the P-Jays, he pitched about as poorly as his 1-7 record and 5.14 ERA suggests.

"He was elevating the ball a lot, especially at the beginning of the season," said Gonzalez, a right-hander who also is in his second year at Pulaski. "He got hit around a little bit, but this year ... he's working hard and the results are there."

Mateo has improved not only his mechanics but also his mental and emotional approach.

"Even when some guys get on, he's not losing his composure," Horsman said. "He's staying focused."

Prone to big innings last season, Mateo showed off his new focus in his most recent start Tuesday against the Bristol White Sox.

It wasn't a pristine effort -- four walks, two hits and an errant pickoff throw -- but Mateo managed to strand four runners and pick off a fifth.

"He didn't have his best stuff today, but he competed and kept us in the game until we were able to have that big inning," manager Dave Pano said after Pulaski closed out a 5-3 win.

It was enough for one game, but the Blue Jays have seen Mateo throw even better. He knows what he has to do to escape rookie ball, Horsman said.

"He's staying focused pitch to pitch, keeping it real simple," Horsman said. "That's all he's doing. He's just being consistent."