CHICAGO — The way the Yankees have been hitting — or not hitting — lately, their pitchers have had to be just about perfect.

Their starters have done that.

Their bullpen has not.

So on another night when they got a strong start from Max Fried, but very little from their lineup, the Yankees asked their bullpen to walk a tightrope and it could not do it, faltering in a 5-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday night at a windy Wrigley Field.

After Spencer Jones swatted a solo shot to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, they wasted a chance to add on, which immediately cost them in the bottom of the frame when the Cubs mounted a three-run rally against Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick.

It was as if the Yankees lineup was screaming for help once again, just two days before the trade deadline, as it continued to flounder without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton.

It has scored just five runs over its last three games and 13 over its last five.

During that five-game stretch, the Yankees received an outstanding turn through the rotation, as their last five starters combined to give up just two runs across 31 1/3 innings, scattering 15 hits and seven walks while striking out 33.

Incredibly, the Yankees were only able to turn that dominant pitching into two wins.

Against former Mets lefty David Peterson — who entered the night with a 5.80 ERA — and three Cubs relievers, the Yankees tallied eight hits while stranding seven men on base.

Two of them came in the top of the seventh with two outs after Jones had put them ahead.

José Caballero and pinch hitter Trent Grisham drew back-to-back walks against righty Trent Thornton, which brought up Paul Goldschmidt, who hit for himself with Ben Rice on the bench.

But the veteran first baseman popped out in foul territory to squash the threat.

Nico Hoerner then led off the bottom of the seventh by crushing a Cruz splitter down the left field line for a home run that tied the game at two.

Two outs later, Cruz walked pinch hitter Pedro Ramirez, at which point Aaron Boone called on Brent Headrick.

Headrick had stranded all 15 of his inherited runners over his last 32 games before Saturday, but he could not keep that streak alive.

Pete Crow-Armstrong ripped a line drive down the right field line that bounced off the side wall and got past Jasson Domínguez, ensuring Ramirez could score all the way from first for the 3-2 lead.

Crow-Armstrong, who raced around for the triple, then scored on Seiya Suzuki’s single up the middle.

Yovanny Cruz, called up from Triple-A earlier in the day after Camilo Doval was traded to the Pirates, let in another run in the eighth.

After Yankees starters had combined to throw 13 2/3 straight scoreless innings — Ryan Weathers on Thursday against the White Sox and Will Warren on Friday against the Cubs — Fried snapped the streak in the bottom of the first on Saturday.

Crow-Armstrong, the former Mets prospect, led off by drawing an eight-pitch walk, then took second on a wild pitch as Fried’s curveball in the dirt got past Ali Sánchez.

Crow-Armstrong took third on a groundout and then came home to score when Fried spiked a sweeper well in front o the plate for another wild pitch, putting the Cubs up 1-0.

Fried settled in from there, though, allowing only two baserunners the rest of the way across 5 1/3 innings.

The left-hander, who was still working on a pitch count after coming back early from missing two months with a left elbow bone bruise, built up to 77 pitches after striking out Crow-Armstrong leading off the sixth inning.

Angel Chivilli then entered from the bullpen and walked the first two batters he faced before getting back on track and retiring the next two to get out of the jam.