SAN DIEGO -- In four-plus seasons as manager of the San Diego Padres, Bud Black has dealt with his closer leaving town, his ace being traded and a change in owners and general managers.

All that, and he's got his surprising Padres playing so well that they've been atop the NL West much of the season and have the NL's best record.

On Monday, the Padres gave Black a three-year contract extension through 2013, with club options for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

"There are a lot of challenging decisions that have to be made day to day; this was not a tough one," co-owner Jeff Moorad said. "If there ever was an easy decision to extend the manager, this was it. Bud epitomizes what we're doing with the club, both today as well as going forward."

The Padres, who were off Monday before starting a series at NL East-leading Atlanta on Tuesday, have a four-game lead over the Colorado Rockies. Their 54-37 record is third-best in the big leagues, behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

San Diego took over first place in the NL West on April 20 and has been out of the lead only a total of three days since then.

"I think Bud and his staff deserve an awful lot of credit for helping mold and guide this club to this point," Moorad said. "Bud was always one of the smarter players on the field. It's not a surprise that he's as masterful at handling everything from the play-calling to the player transactions, as skillfully as he does."

Black, a left-hander, pitched in the big leagues for 15 seasons.

"I still think like a player," Black said Monday. "I think that benefits me in a lot of ways. I think about today. I'm thinking about today's game."

Black said that's how he dealt with closer Trevor Hoffman leaving as a free agent after the 2008 season, ace Jake Peavy being traded last summer, Moorad's group buying the team from John Moores and Jed Hoyer being hired after GM Kevin Towers was fired at the end of last season.

"You're mentally conditioned to handle these things when they occur," Black said. "It's part of, again, the background and experience you learn as a player and the things you go through as a player, whether it's free agency, arbitration, being traded, being sent down to minor leagues. All those things form a foundation to how you react to things as you move into your career."