The Associated Press

Major leaguers overwhelmingly believe Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, according to a new poll conducted by Sports Illustrated.

The magazine approached every major league player, and 550 agreed to answer various questions about the game. But not every player responded to each question.

When asked, "Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame," 74.2 percent of the respondents answered "yes, unconditionally," 11.1 percent said, "only if he admits he bet on baseball," 9.4 percent said, "not under any circumstances" and 5.3 percent said they didn't know.

• Complete Sports Illustrated poll results

DODGERS: Kevin Brown will skip his scheduled start on Tuesday because of a lower abdominal strain, the latest setback for the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander.

Brown was injured Thursday night. Dodgers manager Jim Tracy is hopeful that Brown will not have to miss more than one start. His next outing is scheduled for July 13 at Colorado, the day before the All-Star break.

DEVIL RAYS: Tampa Bay will receive scouting information from the Yokohama Stars under a three-year agreement signed with the Japanese Central League team on Saturday.

As part of the agreement, which runs through the 2005 season, Yokohama will provide information on all levels of competition throughout Japan, including high school prospects and pro players.

In return, the Devil Rays will help Yokohama acquire foreign players to play for the Bay Stars.

TWINS: Left fielder Jacque Jones was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday and infielder Chris Gomez was activated.

Jones strained his groin on Monday and hasn't played since. Jones, who's hitting .300 with 46 runs, 10 homers and 35 RBI, will be eligible to return right after the All-Star break.

INDIANS: Cleveland purchased the contracts of left-hander Jason Stanford and right-hander Jose Santiago from Triple-A Buffalo.

Stanford, who was 8-3 with a 3.18 ERA for Buffalo, will make his major league debut today against Minnesota. He took the roster spot of right-hander Ricardo Rodriguez, who was optioned to Buffalo.

SHORT HOPS: New York Yankees first baseman-designated hitter Nick Johnson, out with a stress fracture in his right hand, hit off a tee for the first time Saturday.

• Barry Bonds hit his 638th homer Friday against San Diego, giving him 1,704 RBI. That moved him out of a tie with Reggie Jackson for sole possession of 15th place on the career list.