MILWAUKEE -- With one final regular-season start left before the National League wild card game Wednesday, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon planned to put very few limitations on ace right-hander Jake Arrieta against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

"He's not going to pitch a complete game," Maddon said. "I'd like to keep him within that 90-pitch number."

Turns out that would be more than enough for Arrieta, who needed just 72 pitches to cover six shutout innings as the Cubs cruised to a 6-1 victory in front of a very-friendly crowd of 30,044 at Milwaukee's Miller Park.

Arrieta finished the regular season with a 22-6 record overall but was almost un-hittable in the second half, posting a 0.75 ERA since the All-Star break.

He closed out the season on an 11-0 tear and is just the second pitcher in MLB history to win at least 10 games without a loss in August and September, joining the Brewers' Cal Eldred, who went 10-0 with a 0.95 ERA from Aug. 1-Sept. 30, 1992.

"If that didn't clinch his (Cy Young) award, I don't know what would," Maddon said. "That had to be the clincher; another quality start and a dominating performance."

Arrieta, however, was more concerned with his next assignment, which will come Wednesday against the Pirates in the National League wild card game.

"When the season's over, we'll think about (awards) a little more," Arrieta said. "Wednesday is the most important thing right now for everybody here."

Arrieta allowed a leadoff single to Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett, but proceeded to retire nine in a row before left fielder Khris Davis' two-out single in the fourth.

Davis was left stranded and Arrieta made quick work of the next seven Milwaukee batters before giving way to the bullpen to open the seventh.

"He's on a really good roll right now, there's no question," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "Some at-bats, you never get a pitch to hit so you're limited with baserunners. It's tough to get offense against him."

His counterpart, rookie right-hander Ariel Pena, did his best to mimic Arreita, striking out five of six batters through the first two innings.

But Chicago's offense got on the board in the third with doubles by shortstop Addison Russell and third baseman Tommy La Stella to make it a 1-0 game and first baseman Anthony Rizzo gave Chicago a 2-0 lead with a solo home run in the fourth.

Pena managed to limit the damage until that point, but a leadoff single, a hit batter and an ugly fielding error on right fielder Domingo Santana loaded the bases in the fifth, bringing Pena's day to an end.

"He was good early," Counsell said. "The ball was really coming out of his hands good. His fastball had life. It was up and worked really well.

"Next time through the lineup, though, he had a little bit more trouble. Early, his fastball had different life from what we've seen."

Right-hander David Goforth came on and Rizzo struck again, doubling the deficit with a base hit up the middle.

Chicago added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh while Milwaukee avoided the shutout when Davis belted his 27th home run of the season to lead off the seventh against right-hander Trevor Cahill.

"It was a fastball a little middle-in and just put a good swing on it," Davis said. "Doing what I worked on."

The victory allowed Chicago to keep pace with Pittsburgh, which maintained a two-game lead in the wild card race with two games to play after beating Cincinnati in 12 innings Friday.

NOTES: The Cubs' six-game winning streak is the longest active streak in baseball. Chicago is 30 games over .500 for the first time since 2008, when they finished the regular season 97-64. ... Milwaukee LF Khris Davis has hit 21 home runs since the All-Star break, second-most among National League players. ... Chicago has won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams and leads the all-time series, which began in 1997 when the Brewers were in the AL Central, at 146-144. ... Brewers pitchers recorded nine strikeouts Friday, giving the staff 1,242 this season -- the fifth-highest mark in franchise history.