The only things you can use on a Throw Barb to slow monsters down are Cold Damage items / Charms which stack if you are not using a Holy Freeze merc / aura item or Reapers.
Guessing you went with the Lacerator Axe throw barb? if not, what is your build and equip. Oh, yup, Act 1 merc is decent if you can tank, however, you being a throw barb is not really tanking, you are ranged as well... on top of that, barbs don't have any other form for creating a Tank, like an Amazon or Assassin with Valk or Shadow.
Still want to know your build and items thought, it could make things better to give some advice... don't forget to add in your BPs you reach with gear.
But it's like wen i play throubarb, i like him, the thing is this, you throw a barrage of things, n the act 1 merc helps out, it's like a barreage of weapoons, it kills all enemies, n they won't get cloose. also rangeed monsters die fast.
Throubarb is quite safe. Good against bouses too, you stand at reange, won't have to risk gett'n cloose to get hit hard. Proobbly not good gainst big booses, liek teh uber bosses n that stuff. But i bet, i bet, probbly can even get done!!! Get loots of croushin bloow, through fast, n maybe if possible, stone armor, geat teh soil golem ................... nobody though of that, i did long ago, the soil golem slow's em, you can use slough, you geat CLEGLAW GLOVES = 25% slough .............. COLD DEAMAGE = 10% ... LVL 16 SOIL GOLUM = 60% !!!
This makes for one slough boss............ It would be real fun to see it done gainst ubers........... n lots n lots of crushing blough.....
N one more point!!!! BIG LEVEL A1 mearc = The inner SIGHT .. = -700 defense, uber boss got what, 4000 defense? Well it's not much, but 15% is 15%, go from 60% cth to 65, 5%, that's better, everything healps............... I'm thinking of lilith.. Probbly be a hard beattle, but through, run, through, run ..... would be so cool to know if eats possible................ Like 80% slough, i know hell it's less, but it should steal be a good slough.................