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.

The Chicago Cubs steamrolled the Pittsburgh Pirates all week, but MLB fans are more concerned with Shota Imanaga's willingness to teach Paul Skenes a few tricks

It was the last of three home runs the Cubs hit off Skenes in the fifth after solo shots by Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker. Those three runs gave the Cubs their first lead. And for good measure, Suzuki added a two-run homer in the seventh inning off reliever Kyle Nicolas.

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.

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

The San Diego Padres continue their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series with a Padres-Pirates prediction and pick. The Padres come into the series at 19-11, which places them in second place in the NL West.