The Chicago Cubs offense isn’t reliant on home runs, but long balls were pivotal in an 8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki all took Pirates ace Paul Skenes deep in the fifth inning as the Cubs pulled away for an 8-3 victory

Seiya Suzuki fell just a single shy of the cycle while leading the Chicago Cubs to a dominant 9-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, highlighted by four home runs and a lights-out pitching performance.

SportsLine's model simulated Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks for Thursday's matchup

Get Pittsburgh vs Chicago baseball betting preview, spread and over/under insights for their matchup on May 1.

The Chicago Cubs (18-13) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (12-19) wrap up a 3-game series Thursday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Cubs vs. Pirates odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took an early lead, but the Chicago Cubs displayed their power and took the series finale, 8-3 at PNC Park. The Pirates also lost the series opener on April 29, 9-0, making it another series defeat.

Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki all took Pirates ace Paul Skenes deep in the fifth inning as the Cubs pulled away for an 8-3 victory on Thursday. Suzuki later added a two-run shot off reliever Kyle Nicolas as Chicago took two of three from the last-place Pirates.

Paul Skenes could tell during his pregame bullpen session on Thursday that he wasn't quite right. The Chicago Cubs then went out and offered tangible proof, taking the Pittsburgh ace deep three times in the fifth inning of what became an 8-3 Pirates loss on Thursday in a performance that was decidedly unSkenes-like,