The Mariners are only making fans more nervous with every new Bryan Woo update

It has been close to two weeks since Bryan Woo last threw a competitive pitch. That was on September 19 in Houston, and the pec tightness that forced an early exit didn't seem to have anyone in the organization feeling especially concerned.

So it goes even now, with the Mariners less than 24 hours away from finding out who they'll be playing in Game 1 of their American League Division Series on Saturday. The company line remains that the All-Star righty is making progress, but he's still not throwing and there is no firm timetable for when he'll pitch again.

"Optimistic" has been the operative word on Woo's progress, to a point where Dan Wilson was even asked directly on Wednesday if he's optimistic that Woo will be on the club's ALDS roster.

“Yeah, at this point," was Wilson's reply, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. "And again, it's just continuing to take it day by day and assess. And I do believe that we're in a good spot with that.”

At least for now, however, there isn't a whole lot to go off. Woo was only seen doing light dry throwing on Wednesday, essentially going through his delivery without throwing a ball. He's due to finally throw a bullpen session on Thursday, but just as notable is that he won't be partaking in the second of two scrimmages. That means he'll miss out on facing live hitters.

The Mariners are taking their time with Bryan Woo, which is both smart and agonizing

None of this is bad news. In fact, the Mariners have given fans every reason to feel confident that they aren't rushing Woo back to action. It's as if they know they don't necessarily need him to be ready for Games 1 or 2 in Seattle in order to have their best shot at the American League Championship Series.

It sounds counterintuitive, given that Woo was Seattle's best and most consistent pitcher as he racked up a 2.94 ERA over 186.2 innings this year. But he was also a unicorn among Mariners starters in that he was excellent both at home and on the road. This was not the case with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Luis Castillo, who excelled in Seattle and struggled elsewhere.

As such, perhaps it's for the best that the Mariners' patience with Woo is lining him up for a potential Game 3 start on the road next Tuesday. This is per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times:

Yet until Woo shows he's actually capable of throwing competitively — as in, off the mound and with an actual ball — all of this is strictly hypothetical. And as long as that remains the case, Mariners fans have license to sweat over it.

It's not much ado about nothing, folks. This is the Mariners' ace we're talking about. And at least until they know who they're playing in the ALDS, sweating stuff like this is really all there is for Mariners fans to do.