Mental tricks in baseball? example: Pitcher Martinez

I don't watch much baseball, So when I saw some of the pitching styles, I wondered at how much was warmup and how much was to irritate the other team.
Then I saw Tampa Bays pitcher Martinez, and I all but screamed, "Throw the damned ball." Every pitch of his is preceded by stutter steps as he rocks back and forth. Then he takes a variable length in seconds before he throws.

Is it a mind game to irritate batters, or is it a special need of his?

Then last night, we got to see the pitchers mound rebuilt. Interesting. and a real break in the flow of the game. Was it necessary or was it a mental way to distract the batter? To cool him down?