​With the help of Tyler Hardman’s bat, the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders rode some momentum into the All-Star break.The RailRiders took four of six games in a series at Sahlen Field in New York against the Buffalo Bisons, top affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hardman led the way, batting .500 (12-for-24) in the six games with one double, four home runs, eight runs and nine RBIs.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThose numbers earned him International League Player of the Week honors for July 6-12.In the series opener July 7th, Hardman went 4-for-6 with a double, two home runs, four runs, and four RBIs as the RailRiders romped to an 18-3 victory. He hit a two-run shot in the top of the second inning and a solo blast leading off the top of the sixth. It is his second two-homer game with the RailRiders — the other came June 25th at Indianapolis — and third of the season. The other came May 2nd with Double-A Somerset.One night later, Hardman capped a four-run first inning with a three-run home run off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who was making a MLB rehab start with Buffalo, and the RailRiders won, 5-1.Hardman had three hits, including another home run leading off the sixth inning, and two RBIs on July 10th in a 9-1 RailRiders win. In a doubleheader July 11th he went a combined 3-for-5 although the RailRiders wound up losing both games of the twin bill, 5-2 and 3-1. Hardman contributed a hit in the series finale which the RailRiders won in 10 innings, 8-7.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt took Hardman quite some time to get to Triple-A and he is making the most of it. In 44 games with the RailRiders, he is batting .276 (43-for-156) with nine doubles, nine home runs, 23 runs, and 26 RBIs.Including 42 games at Somerset, Hardman is batting a combined .288 (88-for-306) with 17 doubles, and 22 home runs. He leads all Yankees minor leaguers in games played (86) and RBIs (66). His 88 hits rank second behind Kaeden Kent’s 97 with High-A Hudson Valley and his 22 home runs are second behind teammate Garrett Martin. Both Kent and Martin are currently on the seven-day injured list at Hudson Valley and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, respectively. Martin has 24 home runs, with his last three coming as a RailRider.This is the fourth time this season that a RailRider has won the MiLB weekly award. Yanquiel Fernández was named Player of the Week for the period of May 18-24. Brendan Beck was twice chosen Pitcher of the Week: May 11-17 and June 1-8. Beck also was named IL Pitcher of the Month for June.By winning four of the six games in Buffalo, the RailRiders took the season series from the Bisons, 10-5. They also improved to 11-6 in the second half (48-43) and are in second place in the International League standings, 2.5 games behind the Durham Bulls — right in the thick of the playoff race.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementComing out of the All-Star break, the RailRiders will be home at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania