KANSAS CITY -- Thursday’s thriller proved to be a challenge the Orioles could handle. Now, it’s time for them to face some even tougher tests the rest of May.

With an improbable 13-10 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Baltimore secured its seventh consecutive series win. The O’s have won 17 of 22 games over that span, which has featured matchups against the A’s, White Sox, Nationals, Tigers, Red Sox and Royals -- all opponents with a sub-.500 record, except Boston.

The final win of that stretch didn’t come easy. Baltimore had an 8-1 lead over Kansas City in the third inning, then blew it, as the Royals scrapped back and went ahead, 9-8, with a two-run seventh. But the Orioles immediately responded, rallying for a pair of runs in the eighth, with Ramón Urías' pinch-hit two-run single pushing them ahead. He then helped pad the lead with a two-run double in a three-run ninth.

According to Baseball Savant, Baltimore had a 96% win probability after Gunnar Henderson’s two-run homer pushed its lead to 8-1 in the third. That later flipped heavily in favor of Kansas City, which had an 85% chance at a victory heading to the eighth. Urías’ go-ahead knock pushed it back to 79% for the O’s, who made it 100% when Félix Bautista struck out Hunter Dozier and stranded two Royals baserunners in scoring position to end it.

“It’s like going to the dentist, a little bit,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Unfortunately, we let them back into the game. But give our guys a ton of credit for not getting down, staying with it and really grinding those last two innings to put some runs up on the board. Character win, definitely.”

Baltimore (21-10) may need more of those type of wins, as its next 22 games will be against teams with a winning record -- the Braves (22-10), Rays (26-6), Pirates (20-12), Angels (18-14), Blue Jays (18-13 entering Thursday), Yankees (17-15) and Rangers (18-12).

The O’s believe they have proven they can hang with the top-level competition.

“We’ve shown that we’re a good baseball team,” said second baseman Adam Frazier before the game Thursday, in which he reached base four times and scored four runs. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing -- if you’re winning games every night, you’ve got a pretty good team. Everybody knows we can hit the ball and we can pitch the ball. So I don’t think anybody’s taking us lightly from a talent standpoint.”

Nor should they. Not when Baltimore also has the type of resiliency it just showed.

The Orioles built their 8-1 lead against Royals starter Jordan Lyles (who pitched for Baltimore in 2022) via Anthony Santander’s two-run homer in the first, Cedric Mullins’ three-run double in the second, Jorge Mateo’s RBI single in the third and Henderson’s ensuing two-run blast. But Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez couldn’t keep Kansas City from rallying back.

Rodriguez (the O’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline) made his sixth big league start, allowing six runs over 3 2/3 innings. The Royals chipped away at their deficit, scoring at least one run in every frame from the second through the fifth. Kyle Isbel’s RBI bunt single tied the game at 8 in the seventh, with Bobby Witt Jr. putting K.C. ahead, 9-8, with an RBI knock off Yennier Cano.

“We were a little upset, because we had an early lead, but it’s part of the game,” Urías said. “Sometimes, we’re going to struggle like that, and we’ve got to fight all the way to the end.”

The O’s stayed calm -- which is never a problem for the mild-mannered Urías -- and trusted they had the offensive ability to respond. It’s easy for them to have that type of confidence, considering they’ve come from behind in 11 of their first 21 wins.

Now, Baltimore’s season-long 10-game road trip wraps up this weekend in Atlanta, where the Orioles will face the mighty Braves. But the O’s aren’t backing down from a formidable challenge. They never do these days.

That confidence stems from the success of Baltimore’s 83-win 2022 season, which has frequently been cited in the clubhouse as a reason for the fast start to ‘23. The Orioles have learned how to win -- even if it’s not always in the prettiest fashion -- so they’re not intimidated by the difficult schedule ahead.

“We’re looking forward to that. I think we’ll find out what we’re made of,” Frazier said. “You want to play the best teams -- it’s more fun, there’s usually more people in the stands. That’s what you’re playing for, is to be the best. So in order to do that, you’ve got to beat the best.”