CHICAGO – The Minnesota Twins are walking a tightrope, trying to stay afloat in the playoff race with an underwhelming bullpen, a shorthanded starting rotation and an evolving defense that has been one of the worst in the league.

Sunday’s 10-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs showed how quickly the Twins can fall down and fall apart.

The Twins haven’t scored more than three runs in five of their last nine games. Zebby Matthews, one of the Twins’ four healthy starters, allowed 10 runs (eight earned) over three innings, numbers that looked worse because of poor defense behind him.

In a matchup between two of the hottest teams over the past month, the Twins lost two of three games to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, snapping their string of five consecutive series wins. It was the first time the Twins dropped a series since they were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 22-24.

Next up for the Twins are four games in Cleveland, providing a chance to chase down the Guardians, one of two teams ahead of them in the American League Central division standings.

“On this specific road trip, I feel like Cleveland is the bigger fish,” said Royce Lewis, who drove in the Twins’ lone run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. “Every time you play a division opponent, it’s a big deal.”

Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton, on the injured list because of a right hip strain, could be activated onto the roster as early as Monday in Cleveland.

Buxton has been taking swings since last Tuesday, hitting with former Twins hitting coach David Popkins before the All-Star Game, and he ramped up his level of defensive work Saturday with outfield coach Grady Sizemore.

After Buxton aggravated his hip injury on July 5, “I knew that it was going to probably take a little bit more time,” he said. “I’m just listening to the body.”

The Twins have a 5-4 record with Buxton on the IL, though his absence felt much more notable over the last two days. He elevates the offense, and Luke Keaschall showed his inexperience in center field with a misplay Sunday.

But the Twins are largely in the same spot ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline since his injury. The Twins sit four games behind the Chicago White Sox in the division and two games out of a wild-card spot.

“Headed to Cleveland and can’t get better, more exciting baseball coming for you,” Buxton said.

The Guardians series makes it easier for the Twins to forget what they watched Sunday.

Matthews surrendered nine hits and three walks. He threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of his 22 batters, but he failed to put hitters away when he was ahead in counts.

Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer in the first inning after he started in a 0-2 count, and Matthews later left an elevated slider over the heart of the plate. Carson Kelly, in the second inning, hit an RBI single on a 0-2 slider.

The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the third inning after Bregman worked a nine-pitch walk and Ian Happ immediately followed with a 10-pitch walk. Nico Hoerner, in a 0-2 count, lined a fastball to center field that bounced past Keaschall and rolled to the wall, clearing the bases as Hoerner was generously awarded a triple.

“Everything physically felt good,” Matthews said. “I just wasn’t able to execute. When I did, I got the results, got the strikeouts there. Either too far of a miss, or just back over the plate enough where they could put a barrel on it.”

Matthews didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced in the fourth inning. Seiya Suzuki worked an eight-pitch walk, Michael Busch hit an RBI single on a fastball in a 0-2 count and Bregman, after starting in a 0-2 count, hit a grounder that went off Brooks Lee’s glove at third base for a run-scoring error.

“This game got out of hand early and stayed out of hand,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said.

The Cubs own the National League’s best record since June 11, and they displayed many of the reasons why they’re 13 games above .500.

Left-handed starter Shota Imanaga threw seven scoreless innings, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 37,205.

Pete Crow-Armstrong saved at least one run, maybe two, with a running catch in the left-center gap against the Wrigley ivy to end the sixth inning.

Hoerner, the second baseman, saved another run with a running catch in shallow right field in the fourth inning and Bregman stranded two runners with a diving catch in the eighth.

“We ran into a good team,” Lewis said. “I’m excited to see Buck come back, and honestly everyone else, too.

We got [Connor] Prielipp, Cole Sands hasn’t been talked about in a while, so I’m looking forward to seeing him. We’ve got a lot of guys coming.”

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