Dodgers pitchers united on lonely road back from Tommy John surgery

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Consider Brandon McCarthy merely the latest pitcher to realize that the recovery from Tommy John surgery is more of a brainteaser than a strength-and-conditioning program.

As the Los Angeles Dodgers' starter begins throwing a baseball again, the serious mind-bending has only just begun. There will be days in the near future when McCarthy will wake up convinced that the piercing pain in his elbow means that his elbow has blown out again. It will be only a sinister illusion.

Tommy John surgery is cruel indeed, and not just because of the 12-18 months it typically keeps a pitcher on the sideline.

"They’ll tell you you’ll have ups and downs," McCarthy said. "There are a lot of…