DENVER -- It wasn't easy for Jordan Zimmermann, and the Detroit Tigers' starter needed immense help from his bullpen Monday night.

However, in Detroit's 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, Zimmermann found his footing after two innings and remained unbeaten against the Rockies.

The Tigers made an early lead hold up after jumping on ineffective Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela for two runs in the first and two more in the third.

Nicholas Castellanos singled home a run in the first and tripled home two runs in the third.

Five Detroit relievers combined to blank the Rockies after Zimmermann fought his way through five innings. Shane Greene worked the ninth and earned his sixth save in nine chances.

Zimmermann (8-11) is 7-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rockies and 4-0 with a 4.41 ERA in five starts at Coors Field.

He threw 28 pitches in the first, then 30 in the second. Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run homer on a hanging slider in the second, and Charlie Blackmon's broken-bat single scored Trevor Story, who doubled, to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead later in the inning.

Zimmermann needed just 45 pitches to complete his final three innings, though, allowing three singles in those frames, two coming with two outs.

"I feel like my fastball command was a lot better today," said Zimmermann, who had allowed seven runs in each of his previous three starts in a span of 13 2/3 innings. "Other than the one slider I left over the middle to Lucroy that really didn't do a whole lot, the breaking stuff was better from the second inning on.

"Obviously the breaking balls the first two innings weren't very sharp and I had to kind of back off on it a little bit and let the action and spin do its job and not throw as hard."

The Rockies, who began a nine-game homestand, fell two games behind the idle Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the first National League wild card. Colorado leads the Milwaukee Brewers by three games and the Miami Marlins by 4 1/2 in the chase for the second wild-card spot.

Coming off a series victory at Atlanta, the Rockies were trying to win three consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 3-5. They outhit the Tigers 13-9 Monday but still lost for the 13th time in 20 games as they stranded 11 runners and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

The latest defeat left the Rockies 11-14 in August, assuring them of their first losing month this season. Colorado is hitting .223 with runners in scoring position this month and .181 over the past 11 games, seven of which were losses.

"We're getting hits," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "We're not getting the key hit at the right time. That's the thing that's been eluding our offense."

That was acutely apparent in the sixth when the Rockies loaded the bases with two singles and a walk with one out against Warwick Saupold.

Saupold then struck out Nolan Arenado before giving way to left-hander Daniel Stumpf, who struck out Parra on a 95.9 mph fastball to end the inning.

"My main goal there was to attack him," Stumpf said. "It was a strike up in the zone. He went after it, and it worked out in my favor."

Senzatela (10-5) issued consecutive one-out walks in the third, prompting a mound visit from Black, who spoke emphatically to the rookie pitcher. However, three pitches later, Castellanos turned on a slider and drove the ball into the left field corner for a two-run triple, putting the Tigers ahead 4-3.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first. With one out, Alex Presley tripled off the top of the fence in right-center. Justin Upton lined an RBI double over the head of center fielder Blackmon, and he scored when Castellanos singled after a Miguel Cabrera walk.

Senzatela escaped further harm by getting Mikie Mahtook to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera left the game in the fifth due to lower back tightness, an ongoing issue for him.

"It's something I'm battling this year," Cabrera said.

The plodding early pace of the game was of no help to Cabrera.

"Quite frankly, I think it was all the standing around early in the game," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "His back started to tighten up on him. He said he was able to hit, but in order to hit, he'd have to go stand out at first base again, so we let him hit that one at-bat (in the fifth) and made the change."

NOTES: Rockies RF Carlos Gonzalez was scratched from the lineup due to a sore left ankle. ... Rockies LF/1B Ian Desmond (strained right calf) was reinstated from the disabled list, and OF Raimel Tapia was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Tigers RHP Anibal Sanchez (left hamstring strain) is scheduled to throw 65-75 pitches Thursday for low Class A West Michigan in what the club intends to be his only rehab start. ... Detroit LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) is scheduled to throw up to about 90 pitches Thursday for Triple-A Toledo in his fourth rehab start.