PITTSBURGH -- All of a sudden, the Pirates’ starting pitchers seem like they don’t want this season to end.

Pittsburgh’s lineup probably didn’t want the team’s home finale to end Thursday afternoon, either.

Right-hander Chad Kuhl pitched seven scoreless innings, continuing an impressive run for the Pirates’ rotation, and the Bucs backed him up with a season-high four homers as they rolled to a 7-0 win over the Cubs at PNC Park.

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The Pirates finished their final homestand of 2020 by winning three straight games, tied for their longest winning streak of the season, punctuated by perhaps their best all-around game of the season. They are now 18-39 on the year.

“The thing that's encouraging and we have to continue to talk about is, obviously our record is not where we want it to be, and to come in and play the team that's leading our division and win three or four, I think it speaks a lot to this group,” manager Derek Shelton said.

Just over two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Kuhl completed his comeback season by allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out five. Over their last 10 games, Pittsburgh’s starters have put together a 1.60 ERA with six quality starts.

"It's always great when starters get on a roll and we get on a roll together,” Kuhl said. “That's part of the problem with the 60-game season is that, if we're not all clicking at the same time, it's not always going to look pretty. It's nice to be able to string these along and enjoy it with the other starters."

As they look to establish some momentum for next year, the Pirates are encouraged by what they’ve seen from their starters. They’re all under club control for next year, and they’ll add top starter Jameson Taillon to the mix now that he’s worked his way back from his second Tommy John surgery.

"I think [Steven] Brault put it best: We get our ace back next year,” Kuhl said. “We get Jamo back, and it just adds another guy that can be a stopper for us. Every time out, every five days, you're going to have that feeling that you're going to win that ballgame, and that's just such a huge feeling to have in that clubhouse."

Kuhl rolled through three perfect innings on Thursday, before allowing two walks in the fourth inning. He bounced back to strike out the side in the fifth, overpowering the Cubs with his slider and curveball despite inconsistent fastball command. Kuhl didn’t give up a hit until Anthony Rizzo’s double off the right-field wall with one out in the sixth inning.

The Cubs put two runners on in the seventh, and Javier Báez appeared to get feisty with Kuhl after he was hit by an errant sinker. But Kuhl marched off the mound, shouting and pumping his fist, after Victor Caratini promptly lined into an inning-ending double play.

Kuhl finishes the season with a 4.27 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 46 1/3 innings in 11 outings. He was probably better than those numbers indicate, because he only allowed more than three earned runs in one appearance: a 2 1/3-inning, nine-run start in Kansas City in which a finger abrasion wreaked havoc on his fastball command. Throw away that outing, and Kuhl is left with a 2.66 ERA.

The Pirates were cautious with his workload throughout the year, mindful of overstressing his surgically repaired elbow after he spent last season rehabbing. But he finished strong, throwing 98 pitches in his final outing.

“Honestly, I think Chad Kuhl grew up a lot this year. I thought he did a tremendous job taking different things we challenged him with,” Shelton said. “I am really proud of him for this last start. It was an outstanding start, to be able to come back after a couple walks in a tight game against a team that's going to win our division. To do that [against] that lineup is a big sign of maturity that’s really cool to see.”

And he had plenty of run support on Thursday as the Pirates tied their season-best margin of victory while pounding out 14 hits. Pittsburgh hasn’t enjoyed many days like this, having posted a .218/.282/.349 slash line with the Majors’ lowest OPS (.631) on the year. But much like with Kuhl’s start continuing the rotation’s strong finish, the Bucs are searching for any silver linings that might represent progress as they head into the offseason.

“It was a good game for us. We were driving the ball, getting hits, scoring runs,” said center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who went 3-for-4 with a homer. “Better late than never, and it'll give us some good momentum going into the offseason, build on some stuff.”

Colin Moran, Reynolds and Adam Frazier each homered off Cubs starter Alec Mills in the first three innings. Frazier drove in another run in the fourth, then Josh Bell lined his eighth home run of the season out to left field off reliever Kyle Ryan in the fifth inning.

“It’s just trying to go in the offseason with a semi-decent taste in your mouth, knowing that you might have found something that helped you a little bit,” Reynolds said. “I'm not saying I've found anything yet. I'm still tinkering with things, but if I can find something even so small that I can build on in the offseason, it'll be better than just going in and having no plan.”