CHICAGO — There was no shortage of shoulders to absorb the blame for the Yankees’ latest loss Thursday night. Blindfolded, it was easy to hit a target.

J.A. Happ, the Yankees’ most consistent starter lately, flushed a four-run lead in the fifth inning. Adam Ottavino, a main cog in a very good bullpen, allowed a go-ahead homer to Leury Garcia in the sixth. None of the top four hitters in the Yankees’ lineup got a hit.

With all that negativity drifting around Guaranteed Rate Field, it was easy to understand why the Yankees dropped a 5-4 decision to the White Sox in front of an announced gathering of 25,311.

Happ, who gave up four runs in the fifth inning after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fourth that was built by two walks, and Ottavino get a lot of the blame for the Yankees’ ninth loss in 16 games. But not being able to add to a 4-0 lead that was built with two runs in the second and two more when Brett Gardner homered in the fourth, hurt. Maybe not as much as Happ and Ottavino, but not only did the Yankees fail to score in the final five frames, they failed to hit with a runner in scoring position.

And DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hicks, Luke Voit and Gary Sanchez went a combined 0-for-16.

“I didn’t find a way to get out of there like I did in the fourth,’’ Happ said of the fateful fifth, in which he gave up a three-run homer to Tim Anderson that tied the score. “I think the leadoff walk [to No. 8 hitter Yolmer Sanchez] was the big thing.’’

The loss didn’t cost the Yankees their perch atop the AL East because the second-place Rays lost to the Angels and remained one-half length back.

“Good players, right mindset,’’ Aaron Boone said when asked about him being confident the Yankees can escape the funk. “They walk into that room with a lot of confidence and expectations.’’

With a 4-0 lead and Happ (who hasn’t lost since May 4) pitching, it was easy for the Yankees to be confident. Even leaving the bases loaded was a confidence builder. Then it started to unravel with the walk to Sanchez, which was followed by Ryan Cordell’s single and an RBI double from Garcia that cut the lead to 3-1. A 1-1 change-up to Anderson vanished over the center-field fence and tied the score, 4-4. Happ rebounded to retire the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters, but the damage was done.

After Tommy Kahnle worked a scoreless sixth inning, Ottavino entered and went from 0-2 to 3-2 to the switch-hitting Garcia.

“I didn’t want to walk him. I gave him a good pitch to hit and he got it,’’ Ottavino said of the slider in the middle of the plate that Garcia hit over the wall in right-center.

With one out, Jose Abreu doubled and James McCann walked. Ottavino fanned Eloy Jimenez and was removed by Boone because he had thrown 32 pitches.

After the fourth inning, the Yankees had three baserunners and never hit with a runner in scoring position.

They had a final chance in the ninth against hard-throwing left-hander Aaron Bummer, who gave up a one-out single to Clint Frazier (3-for-4 with an RBI). Gio Urshela hit for Mike Tauchman and whiffed. Bummer went to a full count on LeMahieu and ended the game by getting him looking.

Happ is an easy person to lay the blame on, but he wasn’t alone. Ottavino (2-2) has to share it, and the bats going silent after four frames played a role as well.