The underdogs in both these series took the first game, and thus "stole" home-field advantage. Whether that makes a difference or not remains to be seen, though it should be noted that the Astros in particular might have taken a huge step forward. As I have noted previously, the Astros had not only the worst road record among all this year's postseason teams, but the worst road record in the entire American League (33-48). And yet, they took to the road for their first two playoff games and won them both.
Johnny Cueto pitched poorly for the Royals -- 4.